If Aaron Rodgers Leaves Green Bay, History Says He’ll Find Success

Aaron Rodgers is one of the NFL’s brightest quarterbacks.

Rodgers had a 3.6 grade point average at the University of California. He scored a 35 on the Wonderlic test. And his photographic memory is something of legend.

“He’s just really damn smart,” former Packers right guard Josh Sitton once said of Rodgers.

Rodgers certainly didn’t need a PhD in football, though, to read the writing on the wall.

Rodgers, 36, is set to begin his 16^th season with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has said he’d like to play into his 40s and finish his career in Green Bay.

When the Packers used a first-round draft pick on quarterback Jordan Love last month, though, it likely signaled a changing of the guard. Rodgers admitted as much during a conference call with reporters last week.

“There are some new factors that are out of my control,” Rodgers said. “And so my sincere desire to start and finish with the same organization, just as it has with many other players over the years, may not be a reality at this point.”

In the Super Bowl era, there have been seven Hall of Fame quarterbacks that were swept aside late in their careers by the organization where they achieved their greatest successes.

Peyton Manning, a certain first ballot Hall of Famer when he becomes eligible in 2021, will become No. 8 in the next year.

Rodgers figures to join this group one day. And it should come as good news to Rodgers that many Hall of Fame quarterbacks found tremendous success in their next stops.

Here’s a look at those quarterbacks, from most successful to least. Manning is included on the list for obvious reasons.

1. Peyton Manning

Manning was four days shy of his 36^th birthday when he signed with Denver on March 20, 2012. In four seasons with the Broncos, Manning threw 140 touchdowns, including an NFL record 55 TDs in 2013.

Manning was the NFL’s MVP in 2013 when he led Denver to the AFC Championship and a loss to Seattle in the 48^th Super Bowl. Manning and the Broncos then won Super Bowl 50 when they defeated Carolina.

2. Kurt Warner

Warner was a two-time MVP and guided the St. Louis Rams to a win in the 34^th Super Bowl. At 33, though, Warner was released by the Rams and signed by the New York Giants.

After one season of mentoring Eli Manning in New York, Warner found new life with the Arizona Cardinals. Warner spent five years in Arizona, highlighted by a trip to the 43^rd Super Bowl where the Cardinals fell to Pittsburgh.

3. Joe Montana

Montana won four Super Bowls during a memorable 14-year run in San Francisco. Montana then went 17-8 during a two-year stint in Kansas City.

Montana led the Chiefs to their first divisional championship in 1993 and a trip to the AFC title game that same year. Montana also led the Chiefs back to the AFC playoffs in 1994.

4. Warren Moon

Moon, who began his career in Canada, had a decade of success with the Houston Oilers. Moon was traded to Minnesota at 37 years old, but still played seven more seasons with three teams before retiring at 44.

Moon’s best years came in Minnesota, where he led the Vikings to the NFC North title in 1994. Moon also reached a pair of Pro Bowls with Minnesota, and went to the Pro Bowl in 1997 after a big year with the Seattle Seahawks.

5. Brett Favre

Favre went 160-93 during his 16 years in Green Bay before he was traded to the New York Jets on Aug. 7, 2008. Favre then posted a 26-19 record (.578) over the next three years with the Jets and Minnesota Vikings.

Favre led the Vikings to the NFC North title and trip to the NFC Championship Game in 2009. But New Orleans defeated Minnesota in overtime in a game the Saints put a bounty on Favre.

6. Ken Stabler

Stabler spent 12 years with the Oakland Raiders and led the Silver and Black to a win in Super Bowl XI. At 34 years old, Stabler was traded to Houston and led the Oilers to the AFC Central division title in 1980. Stabler was released by Houston after the 1981 season and spent his final three years with the then-dismal New Orleans Saints.

7. Joe Namath

Namath had 12 memorable seasons with the New York Jets and led the franchise to a win in Super Bowl III when they were an 18-point underdog. Namath was waived before the 1977 season and signed with the Los Angeles Rams.

By that time, Namath’s knees were shot and he had a bad hamstring. And after just four games, he was benched and retired after the 1977 season.

8. Johnny Unitas

Unitas led the Baltimore Colts to NFL Championships in 1958, 1959 and 1968. He was also the NFL’s MVP three times in that stretch.

Unitas was traded to the San Diego Chargers in 1973 when he was 40 years old. Unitas was well past his prime, though, and went 1-3 in four starts with the Chargers.

What does this all mean for Rodgers?

Well, for starters, it means many second marriages work out swimmingly — as Manning, Warner and Montana certainly proved.

The Packers would take an enormous salary cap hit if they moved on from Rodgers in the next two seasons. But by 2022, the cap hit isn’t as extreme, at which time Rodgers seems likely to be playing elsewhere.

“I think what it does is just reinforces kind of the adage that you can only control what you can control,” Rodgers said. “It’s always been a mantra for myself, but I think any great athlete that there’s things that are just out of our control. That obviously is something that’s very important to me, but I think is definitely telling at this point that is truly something that’s out of my control.

“What I can control is how I play and making that decision at some point a very hard one. You know, if I were to retire in the organization’s timetable, then it’s an easy decision. But if there comes a time where I feel like I can still play at a high level and my body feels great, you know, then there’s other guys that have gone on and played elsewhere.”

And played extremely well.

Rodgers may soon be joining that club.