Green Bay has never come close to going "all-in" to the extent the Super Bowl champion Los Angles Rams did this past season, but if team president/CEO Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst decide to extend quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the next couple of weeks, the Packers would be redefining what that popular hyphenated phrase means.
Sure, the Rams have traded away a handful of high draft picks for quarterback Matthew Stafford, corner Jalen Ramsey, and edge rusher Von Miller, but that's nothing compared to the future sacrifices the Packers would be making keeping Rodgers. They'd be giving up the opportunity to trade a quarterback in his late 30s who hasn't gotten past the NFC Championship Game since Barack Obama's first term as president in order to chase the elusive Lombardi Trophy for a few more seasons. With all due respect to Rams general manager Les Snead, that would be the epitome of going "all-in."
Is extending Rodgers and going "all-in" the right thing to do? Ask 100 Packers fans, and you'd probably get 50 yesses and 50 nos. On the one hand, why not try and squeeze every last bit of juice out of a future first-ballot Hall of Famer who's coming off back-to-back MVPs? It's easy for younger fans to take for granted how difficult it is to find a great quarterback. Older fans remember all too well the many years of watching Randy Wright, David Whitehurst, Mike Tomczak, and the remains of Jim Zorn and Vince Ferragamo throw more picks in a game than Rodgers throws in a season.
On the other hand, the opportunity to trade a player pushing 40 years of age for three or four high picks comes along maybe once a century. If Gutekunst uses those picks correctly, he could build one heck of a roster around young Jordan Love, whom he thought enough of to trade up for in the first round just a few years ago. And if the former Utah State star bombs next season, Gutekunst would have the extra picks needed to go after another talented young quarterback in 2023.
The dilemma is obvious. Should the Packers keep riding a great horse that hasn't won a big race since 2010, or should they gamble on finding a worthy replacement? If their public comments can be trusted, it sure seems that Murphy, Gutekunst, and head coach Matt LaFleur are willing to ride Rodgers for as long as possible. To be fair, it's difficult to blame them. Gutekunst and LaFleur need to win to keep their jobs, and Murphy sure doesn't want to go into forced retirement in 2025 at the helm of a losing team. It'll be a lot easier to pile up Ws for the next few seasons with No. 12 under center.
It's only been a month and a half since the Packers were unceremoniously booted from the playoffs by the 49ers, but it seems like a year and a half. Fortunately, a decision on Rodgers is coming very soon. The Panchakarma cleansing, Pat McAfee guesting, maybe Shailene Woodley dating quarterback has said he'll let the organization know his intentions before the start of free agency on Mar. 16. That means Packers fans will find out shortly whether it's time to get ready for a rebuild or prepare to see what happens when a team makes one of the biggest "all-in" moves in the history of the NFL.
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I can’t imagine LaFleur would’ve brought Clements out of retirement if he wasn’t sure Rodgers would be coming back. I’m guessing an announcement will be made as soon as a new deal is reached.
Probably more a save our jobs move than anything else. As long as Rodgers is around, we won’t know for sure whether Murphy, Gutekunst, and LaFleur are really any good at their jobs. Say whatever you want about Favre and Rodgers, but they’ve made a lot of mediocre people rich the past 30 years.
I don’t blame Gutekunst at all for wanting to bring Rodgers back. Their window is still open. They’ve got studs at virtually every position of the team. As we saw with the Rams, so much of the playoffs is about luck and injuries. While their window is no doubt getting smaller by the season they still will be in the super bowl conversation with Rodgers in the fold for the next 2-3 seasons. Assuming they bring back Rodgers, Adams, and Campbell and let all their other FA’s go (with an exception or two) this is a team that make a run. The NFC isn’t as great as it was a few seasons ago – they have a chance.