Aaron Rodgers and the Denver Broncos remain together in the same airspace.
Those talks are not going to die down anytime soon. The Denver Broncos are in the market for an upgrade at quarterback, something that has been the case since the team won Super Bowl 50. And as for Aaron Rodgers, his relationship with the Green Bay Packers is always in question.
Lately, there has been plenty of reason to believe that Rodgers is going to stay in Green Bay, including the team bringing back Tom Clements as the quarterback coach.
Aaron Rodgers will still land in Denver, according to former players.
However, Broncos legend Terrell Davis seems to be of that opinion, stating recently he expects Rodgers to wind up with his old team. Another former player told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (ESPN+) that it’s “just a matter of time” before Rodgers comes to Denver.
There are also other reports that state the Packers are completely ignoring overtures concerning a trade for Rodgers and expect him to remain with the team.
That’s all well and good, but as I have stated before, for the right price, any player can be moved.
But what is the one reason that should make the Broncos wary about acquiring Rodgers?
Many will point to his age. Rodgers turned 38 years old in December so the prevailing thought is that he will only have a few good years left to play the game, at most. The success of quarterbacks over the age of 40 — outside of Tom Brady — is not many.
Then there is the assumed price that it would cost to acquire Rodgers. There is no doubt that the Packers would want a lucrative package in return for the back-to-back NFL MVP.
But neither of those things should make the Broncos balk at the idea of a trade. Instead, it’s something much more related to the game on the field that should make the team think twice.
Rodgers hasn’t exactly led his team to the success it has been expecting.
Aaron Rodgers is just 11-10 in postseason games.
Rodgers took over as the Packers’ starting quarterback ahead of the 2008 season. Since then, the team has been one of the elite teams in the league, at least in the regular season. Since 2008, the Packers have only missed the playoffs three times.
But take a look at this telling statistic:
Packers regular-season record since 2008: 145-76-2 (.654 winning percentage)
Packers postseason record since 2008: 11-10 (.523 winning percentage)
Now obviously, the quality of opponents is going to go up in the playoffs. But outside of his magical Super Bowl run in 2010, in which the Packers won the Super Bowl as a Wild Card, Rodgers has been very mediocre in the playoffs.
Take a look at further proof:
2011: Packers went 15-1, won division title, and lost at home to the New York Giants, 37-20, in the divisional round.
2012: Packers went 11-5, won division title, and lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 45-21, in the divisional round.
2013: Went 8-7-1, won division title, and lost to 49ers 23-20 in Wild Card round.
2014: Went 12-4, won division title, and lost to Seattle Seahawks 28-22 in NFC Championship Game after the team suffered a monumental fourth-quarter collapse.
2015: Went 10-6 and lost to Arizona Cardinals, 26-20, in divisional round.
2016: Went 10-6, won division title, and lost to Atlanta Falcons 44-21 in NFC Championship Game.
2019: Went 13-3, won division title, and lost to 49ers 37-20 in NFC Championship Game.
2020: Went 13-3, won division title, and lost to Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-26 in NFC Championship Game.
2021: Went 13-4, won division title, and lost 13-10 to 49ers in divisional round.
Now we can try to come up with excuses for Rodgers, but this is no coincidence. It’s a trend, and not a good one. Rodgers has led the Packers to eight NFC North titles and has just one Super Bowl to show for it. He has a 1-4 record in the conference championship game.
On top of that, he has been bounced from the playoffs four separate times by teams his Packers were favored to beat.
The NFC North is not necessarily the toughest division in the league with the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions as the other teams in it. In the AFC West, Rodgers would have to deal with games against Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Derek Carr and those teams twice each.
The Broncos have often been talked about as a team that is just “a quarterback away”. But the Packers probably have a more complete roster than Denver does. Rodgers has always enjoyed throwing the ball to top-flight receivers such as Greg Jennings, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams.
The Packers have had solid teams and even without Rodgers, could probably still win the NFC North. But with Rodgers in Denver, there is no guarantee the Broncos get through those teams and win the AFC West.
Even if they did, Rodgers’ playoff pedigree promises nothing and the team would be facing his lack of success in the postseason with each game.
So it’s not the fact that Rodgers is 38 or that the Broncos would have to part with some premium assets to obtain him that should scare George Paton and the front office. Rather, it’s the fact that he just has never proven to be a winning quarterback when it matters most.