Even on Super Wild Card Weekend the pundits can’t get enough of the Green Bay Packers. As the NFL Network’s excellent pregame show marched towards kickoff they found themselves talking to Ian Rappaport about the financial implications of Aaron Rodgers future. As Rappaport finished the panelist took their turns reacting. Steve Mariucci took no time in bringing some reality to the idea of Aaron Rodgers retiring or leaving Green bay.
“Not going to happen. Here’s what’s going on in Green Bay and you all know this…they have such a prideful organization, they have lost the last three playoff games at home. That’s not supposed to happen over there. And then they lost this year’s game to get into the playoffs at home against the Lions. So that doesn’t sit well with anybody right? Aaron Rodgers, you know, trying to do a press conference right after That kind of discouraging loss that’s hard to do man…I think he’s coming back. I’m 96% positive in my little mind that he’s coming back. And not just because of the money but because they’re going to have a pretty darn good team next year. They’re going to have a better team next year with all these young receivers Christian Watson and Dobbs and these linemen, they had a good draft with those Georgia kids Walker and Wyatt. they have got Bhaktiari coming back healthy, Jenkins, Aaron Rodger had a thumb and he had ribs. I’m telling you right now he’s coming back next year Kurt!”
The Kurt Steve Mariucci was talking about of course was Kurt Warner. Warner took very little time in agreeing with the former coach on Rodgers returning.
“I think he’s going to come back and play, for sure. And with all the things that Ian(Rappaport) just talked about and the money that’s there, I don’t know how he goes somewhere else and plays.”
Warner did mention that everything Rodgers did at the end of the Lions game made him question his belief and specifically his belief he would be back in Green Bay. But he doesn’t see with the finances, many other options.
That’s when Michael Irvin jumped in. He isn’t buying for a second that any of the pop and circumstance meant anything.
“Look, Aaron Rodgers is playing football next year. He’s playing football. That last game and all this stuff they did I was like Aaron you know you’re playing next year why you doing all this stuff? And he should, he’s one of the best quarterbacks. He should. What I didn’t like this year was all of a sudden this narrative Aaron Rodgers can’t play and that’s just not true.”
Irving’s point is the one that sticks in Packers fans minds more than anything. Many cheeseheads feel as though they’ve been let down by organizational leadership over the past few seasons. Mariucci can point out the home playoff losses all he wants but the truth is the window for a championship was wide open and Brian Gutekunst made poor choices in the draft and completely avoided helpful free agents. Meanwhile Matt Lafleur has stayed far too loyal to bad coaches and players while also mismanaging important game situations. The problem in Green Bay is not Aaron Rodgers and if he wants to come back. Everyone around him should be doing everything they can to elevate this team to a championship. As Michael Irvin was heard saying as they went to a commercial “40 Years of quarterbacking with two Super Bowls is what they’ve got.”
