By Emilee White
April 25, 2023 was a sad day for Green Bay Packers everywhere — Aaron Rodgers has officially been traded to (*screaming, crying, throwing up*) the New York Jets. Was this expected? Yes. Was I still holding out hope? Absolutely.
When it comes to Rodgers, most people like to highlight that he only has one Super Bowl win in his whole career, (let’s not forget he’s a four-time NFL MVP, 10-time Pro Bowl selection, and four-time first-team All-Pro). Most people especially LOVE to compare Rodgers to Tom Brady (gross), as if talent and championship wins have any correlation. Don’t get me wrong, Brady is a great quarterback, but is he the greatest of all time? That’s a discussion for another day. What is undoubtedly true and non-negotiable is that Rodgers is the most talented quarterback of all time. I said what I said, and here’s why.
During his career with the Packers, Rodgers was not a running quarterback for the franchise, but instead used other talents in his arsenal, which includes his impressive ability to lob the ball down the field for a Hail Mary. No one, and I mean no one, not even y’alls precious Brady, could throw the ball the way Rodgers did. Case and point, in 2015, the Packers played the Detroit Lions, and the game all came down to the last play. The very last few seconds even.
If you watched the game, you know exactly what play I’m talking about. For those of you who missed out on the Miracle in Motown, Rodgers was given one last chance to win the game for his team and he certainly didn’t waste it. He threw the ball down the field for a 61-yard touchdown, right into the hands of tight end, Richard Rodgers. What made the catch — and subsequent win — even crazier was the fact that Richard was surrounded by six defensive backs from the Lions and still caught the ball.
Some might say it was just pure luck that Aaron was able to throw such a beautiful Hail Mary, and those people are wrong. Aaron has one of the most accurate throwing arms in the league — less than five months later, he threw a 41-yard touchdown pass that put that game against the Arizona Cardinals into overtime (Arizona went on to win the game). Less than a year after that, Aaron launched a game-winning Hail Mary from behind the 50-yard line against the New York Giants in the Wild Card game. That’s three successful Hail Marys in a span of 13 months.
Brady and whatever team he’s leading has been and will always be a near-impossible force to stop, but if you pluck Brady out of his team and compare the highlight reels between the two quarterbacks, he’s nothing compared to Aaron and his talents. Now Aaron and his talents will be showcased in the AFC East with the Jets, and honestly, good for them. The Packers were not treating Aaron like the franchise player and legend he was to the organization. But with that being said, Green Bay and Lambeau Field will not be the same without Aaron. He will go down in Packers History as a legend no doubt, and no matter what jersey he wears, Aaron will always be the greatest quarterback of all time in my book.
Photo credit: Green Bay Packers’ Instagram
