10 Days Until Kickoff: Motivated MVP

The pressure is always on Aaron Rodgers, but that pressure will be ratcheted up as he enters what could be his final season with the Green Bay Packers.

Note: This is the first in a series of positional stories focused on the big story lines entering Week 1 of the NFL season.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Last week, it was noted that Aaron Rodgers had been “pretty sharp” during training camp.

“Pretty sharp?” Rodgers responded with a laugh.

Rodgers is coming off one of the great seasons of all-time en route to winning his third MVP. His 121.5 passer rating was the second-best in NFL history behind his 122.5 from 2011. He led the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown percentage and interception. With that, he joined Steve Young as the only quarterbacks to lead the league in those categories – the Percentage Triple Crown, if you will – since Sammy Baugh in 1940.

Coming off two rather mediocre seasons by anyone’s standards and not just his own (26th in completion percentage and 13th in rating while playing through an injury in 2018, and 21st in completion percentage and 12th in rating in 2019), Rodgers led the NFL in completion percentage for the first time in his career. His 48 touchdown passes almost equaled the 51 he threw the previous two seasons combined. With a rating of 100-plus in 14 of 16 games, he delivered a quarterbacking clinic just about every week.

Now, as he enters the most scrutinized season of his otherworldly career, can he do it again?

Not necessarily the ridiculous numbers. Rather, can Rodgers be that dominant performer and leader again? While he said he’s living squarely in the present – neither the turmoil-filled offseason that was nor the cloudy future that will be are on his mind – can Rodgers push aside the pressure that comes with a “championship or disappointment” season?

The stakes are astronomically high.

Rodgers might think there are greener pastures outside of Green Bay, but that’s not necessarily the case. Even Rodgers acknowledged that on the first day of camp when, after stating his case for having a voice in personnel decisions, he said, “Objectively, there’s been a lot of success here over the last 30 years.”

Rodgers might think he can dominate anywhere, but what he has with Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff is special. On Thursday, a play born in the quarterbacks room turned into a long touchdown on the practice field. The sheer joy in Rodgers was evident when he celebrated with offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Rodgers might think he can lead his team to victory regardless of his supporting cast, but there aren’t many teams that can match the firepower of Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Aaron Jones and Robert Tonyan.

“When you look at those four receivers that we have at the top of the depth chart, pretty special,” Rodgers said in discussing Adams, Valdes-Scantling, Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. “You got the best guy in the league, you got three incredible role players and that’s said with utmost amount of respect.”

In other words, given the talent and chemistry, Rodgers might never be in such a strong position to win his second Super Bowl, whether it’s in Green Bay or some other NFL locale.

There’s no reason why the Packers can’t celebrate in Los Angeles on the night of Feb. 13. Ultimately, as has been the case for more than a decade, it will be up to Rodgers to do the heavy lifting. He must play the right way and lead the right way, just like he did until last season ended a win short of the Super Bowl for the fourth time in his career.

“We obviously have goals,” Rodgers said, “but what’s gotten us to this point of a couple objectively successful years is that same focus on the mind-set, chemistry, professionalism. That’s not going to change.”