AARON RODGERS OWNS THE PACKERS NOW

BY ADAM GREENE

During a Week 6 game against the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers scrambled into the end zone for a touchdown. The Bears fans in that end zone didn’t care for it and let Rodgers know about. His response is now part of NFL lore

Rodgers turned to the crowd and with a camera in his face informed the Chicago Bears fanbase and franchise that he did, in fact, own them.

Yes, Maury Povich opened the manila envelope and revealed to the entire studio audience that Rodgers was the father. There would be no face first dive on the crying couch that day.

Our long overly dramatic Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay Packers saga has seemingly come to an end with Rodgers signing a four year, $200 million contract extension that will keep him in Green Bay until he hangs up his Ivermectin prescription for good.

The deal comes with $153 million in guaranteed money and will make Rodgers the highest paid player in NFL history. Because the Packers are a winning organization and know how to do business in this manner, the new deal actually lowers Rodgers’ cap number and allowed the team to work on a new deal for wide receiver Davante Adams, but he stunningly opted to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders instead.

Assuming they can find some quality wide receivers for Rodgers to work with – something that has been an ongoing problem in Green Bay for years – the 2022-23 version of the squad could be pretty much be the same one that’s watched other teams win playoff games on their home field over the last the three seasons. They had the honor of witnessing the San Francisco 49ers do it twice.

The rift is now closed. Rodgers and the Pack have all made up and the team is firmly under his control, which was the primary point of contention for the future first ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback since the team drafted his replacement, Jordan Love, without telling him they were going to do it.

They thought Rodgers would trend down, talent and production wise. They were wrong. Last season, they capitulated on many things, brought in players that Rodgers wanted like wide receiver Reggie Cobb and had an outstanding regular season, again. Then lost in the playoffs. Again.

But what are you going to do? The Packers aren’t broken. They just can’t get over that final hump and I guarantee it wasn’t going to happen with Love under center. So they’ve gone all in on Rodgers and I’m guessing letting him GM the team to some degree. I don’t blame them and I don’t blame him for wanting that kind of control.

With Rodgers’ position settled, so have the 2022-23 season odds. Green Bay is the current NFC favorite at +325 to win the conference, a solid lead over the defending NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams (+500).

They are behind only the Buffalo Bills in the odds to win the Super Bowl. Currently, the Packers are at +750.

Rodgers, at +800, is second only to Bills QB Josh Allen in the odds to win the NFL’s 2022 MVP Award.

Do I think those are the best bets here, nearly a year out? Nope. Today, I’d pick the Los Angeles Rams to repeat in the NFC and as Super Bowl champions. And those odds may boost up if they re-sign Odell Beckham Jr. and Von Miller.

As for MVP? I think there’s a good reason that Allen is the favorite and he’d be my pick for next season too.

But there’s always a chance Rodgers could win the MVP three years in a row, something that’s only happened once before in the award’s history (Brett Favre was unanimous in 1995 and 1996 and shared it with Barry Sanders in 1997).

As for winning the NFC or Super Bowl? How many times do we have to see Rodgers in a big puffy coat on the Packers sideline watching another quarterback, be it Colin Kaepernick, Eli Manning, Tom Brady or Jimmy Garoppolo (twice) take his team down the field for the winning score?

It’s said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. So, no, today for sure I don’t think Green Bay is winning the NFC and then winning the Super Bowl.

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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