The Aaron Rodgers era is officially over for the Green Bay Packers as he’s finally heading east to the New York Jets in a trade that’s been in the works for weeks.
On Monday, it was announced Rodgers would be traded to the Jets involving a bevy of draft picks, giving the 39-year-old quarterback a new home after a period of uncertainty in Green Bay. With Rodgers’ departure comes the end of a dominant division run by the Packers in the NFC North for the last 15 or so years.
Since Rodgers became the full-time starter in Green Bay, the Packers have won the NFC North eight times and made the postseason as a wild card team another three times with varying degrees of playoff success. They also handled the Bears with ease, going 26-5 in the regular season and 1-0 in the postseason. But now with Rodgers gone and Jordan Love taking over, the rivalry is back to a level playing field with the future of the division potentially up for grabs as well.
It’s been 15 years since we’ve seen a changing of the guard in Green Bay, coming back in 2008 when Rodgers took over for Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre. Even with a roster that was one overtime away from going to Super Bowl XLII, the Packers were in a similar transition period that next season and after a couple of up-and-down years, they defied the odds with Rodgers eclipsing Favre’s greatness.
Back then, the Bears couldn’t take full advantage of the small opening as Rodgers settled in. Even winning the NFC North in the 2010 season couldn’t stop him and the Packers as they defeated the Bears in the playoffs as a wild card team on their way to winning Super Bowl XLV.
This time, however, the Bears are more equipped to compete in the revamped NFC North for the foreseeable future thanks to an ascending quarterback, a young roster, and a front office that is getting players to buy into the process.