Hall of Fame careers are always hard to fully appreciate as they happen. Dominance can get lost in the middle of everything else. The drama and humanity of an all-time great can make it harder to fully grasp just how overwhelming they’ve been on the field. That’s almost certainly the case with Aaron Rodgers.
The former Green Bay Packers legend officially announced yesterday that he’ll be retiring after one more season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Reuniting with Mike McCarthy, who has taken over as Steelers head coach, Rodgers will look to bring Pittsburgh back to the playoffs for one final run.
As he enters his 22nd and likely final season, Rodgers’ legacy is a mixed bag of on-field brilliance and off-field absurdity. He’s hoisted the Lombardi Trophy, won a Super Bowl MVP, and built an incredible reel of game-winning drives and ridiculous Hail Marys. He’s also become the poster child for ayahuasca spirit quests, conspiracy theories, and dramatic non-exits. He is, in essence, the Kyrie Irving of the NFL.
So how do you quantify his career in a way that actually does it justice? Well, accolades are always an easy place to start, and Rodgers has them in spades. Rodgers is one of just two players to win MVP four times, alongside Peyton Manning. We’ve already mentioned his Super Bowl MVP, with the most shocking part there being that he’s only won one championship. Add five All-Pro selections, including four First-Team nods, and you’ve got a bona fide Hall of Famer.
And if that isn’t enough, his career numbers are possibly the most impressive body of work by any quarterback not named Tom Brady. Fifth in passing yards, fourth in passing touchdowns, and sixth in passing attempts, Rodgers has aired the pigskin out more than all but a handful of people in human history. Yet his most impressive statistic might be interceptions. Despite ranking sixth all time in pass attempts, Rodgers is tied for 90th in interceptions and tied for first all time in interception percentage with Jacoby Brissett, which is the kind of bizarre trivia perfect for your next bar bet.
So, is that enough to look past what Rodgers has become as a media spectacle? Some of it has undeniably been funny, but it’s safe to say the humor behind Rodgers’ antics has faded over the past five years or so. Vaccination controversies, skipped training camp practices, and countless eye-rolling appearances on The Pat McAfee Show have soured plenty of fans on Rodgers as a person.
The reality is that Rodgers has been great at his job, one of the best to ever do it. Who Rodgers is away from the field is something every fan has to judge on their own. We’ve seen it countless times throughout sports history, with figures like Charles Barkley, Dennis Rodman, and Mike Tyson constantly testing the limits of separating the art from the artist.
But as every football fan absorbs the news and tries to reconcile their feelings about Rodgers, we can all fall back on one thing: it’s not quite over yet. This final season with Rodgers could get Kobe-esque real quick, so don’t be surprised if he puts up some huge passing volume while chasing one last shot at the promised land.
Oh, and in case anyone hasn’t realized it yet…he still may not retire. Safe to say Rodgers has always been good at pulling the rug out from under everyone, so don’t be shocked if he does it one more time.
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