It was ESPN’s Adam Schefter who first broke the news detailing Aaron Rodgers’ disgruntled state with the Green Bay Packers. And while there are still 95 days until the Packers have to field a team for Week 1, Schefter paints a grim picture of what it would look like if Green Bay doesn’t have its star quarterback in the fold.
If you’re a Bears fan, you’ll want the sound on for this one:
"They know that if he's not back, that they would be one of the worse teams in football."@AdamSchefter with a bold statement on what the Packers would be without Aaron Rodgers 😳 pic.twitter.com/RfFmzpwE43
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) June 8, 2021
In the interest of fairness, it’s not as if the Packers would be void of talent. Aaron Jones is a stud running back. Davante Adams is one of football’s five best receivers. That offensive line constantly churns out starter-caliber players. And the defense has some ballhawking DBs and pass-rushers who find a way to disrupt things. The idea this could all be un-done by Rodgers not showing up is wild, but it’s not totally unrealistic.
Imagine a Week 1 opener with Jordan Love at the helm. Or worse, what if the team doesn’t deem Love to be ready and instead gives the keys Blake Bortles? There’s a non-zero chance that happens, especially if Rodgers remains firm with his commitment to not showing up in Packerland. And if it does, the running lanes will tighten up as defenders will dare a non-Rodgers QB to risk it for the biscuit. We’ve seen Adams star while Brett Hundley was throwing the ball, so I imagine he’ll get his. But what happens to the others on the supporting cast if Rodgers doesn’t emerge from the tunnel?
Frankly, it’ll sound a little something like this:
Let’s be real. The Packers have been blessed with excellent quarterbacking for the better part of three decades. With Rodgers, Brett Favre, and Bart Starr playing their peaks in Green Bay, generations of Packers backers can claim to not have to live through an extended period of quarterback drudgery. So, to have to squirm because of uncertainty at the game’s most important position would certainly be a first. And from the outside looking in, I think it would be entertaining as heck to watch.