Packer Central

Former MVP: Rodgers Remains Best QB in NFC North

If Aaron Rodgers is the NFC North’s best quarterback, why did the Green Bay Packers struggle so much in 2022?

Bill Huber

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers thinks he’s capable of playing MVP-level football. The numbers from 2022, the worst statistical year of his career, suggest otherwise.

Which viewpoint is correct?

Former NFL MVP Rich Gannon is ranking the NFL’s starting quarterbacks in tiers for The 33rd Team. Gannon listed Rodgers as the only “Upper Tier” quarterback in the NFC North. That’s a status shared only by Tom Brady in the NFC. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts are among a few listed as “Lower Upper Tier.”

“Of course, Aaron Rodgers is in the top tier,” Gannon wrote. “Look at his body of work, even as bad as things were this season. They dug themselves out of a 4-8 hole and had a chance to make the playoffs.”

Gannon knows a bit about quarterback play. He was an All-Pro in 2000 and 2002, earning MVP honors in 2002, when he led the Raiders to the Super Bowl.

So, how does he juxtapose Rodgers’ career body of work with what happened in 2022, when the Packers fell to 8-9 and the four-time MVP only looked like an elite player on occasion?

“Look at how inexperienced they were at receiver; there’s no question in my mind that it impacted him,” Gannon said. “The offensive line problems also affected him. And when they were not able to run the ball, he struggled.

“The big plays evaporated with those young guys not understanding, say, the scramble drill. What happened to him is similar to what happened in Tampa: You become very frustrated because you’re used to performing at the highest level. And the smoke starts coming out of your helmet.”

Gannon said Rodgers has what it takes to bounce back and lead the Packers to 13 wins next season. Rodgers agrees.

“Do I still think I can play? Of course,” Rodgers said recently on The Pat McAfee Show. “Can I play at a high level? Yeah. The highest. I think I can win MVP again in the right situation. Right situation, is that Green Bay or is that somewhere else? I’m not sure.”

Click here for more of Gannon’s thoughts on Rodgers and his NFC North peers.

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100 Days of Mocks

Starting Jan. 17, when there were 100 days until the start of the NFL Draft, we started our mock-worthy goal of 100 mock drafts in 100 days. Here’s the 100-day-countdown series.

100 days: First-round quarterback?

99 days: Trading for outside linebacker

98 days: Stud tight end

97 days: This pick would break a long drought

96 days: NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah goes back to Georgia

95 days: Two firsts if Rodgers is traded

94 days: College Football News mocks Mayer

93 days: Safety first for Bucky Brooks in NFL.com mock

Grading the Packers

Aaron Rodgers and the quarterbacks

Aaron Jones and the running backs

Christian Watson and the receivers

Robert Tonyan and the tight ends

David Bakhtiari, Zach Tom and the offensive line

Kenny Clark and the defensive line

Preston Smith and outside linebackers

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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