9. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Something tells me this piece will not get the same kind of run other lists have from our partners over at Packers Wire…
For years Aaron Rodgers has been my answer to this question: “If you needed one quarterback to make a throw with your life on the line, who would you trust?” I would imagine many now look to the kid in Kansas City as the answer to that question, but for a long stretch of time that player was Rodgers in my mind.
And yet, there is a case to be made that even though Rodgers is one of the most feared quarterbacks in the game and still a tremendous player, his best days are behind him. That starts with the numbers. After leading the NFL with an Adjusted Net Yards per Attempt of 8.65 back in 2014, Rodgers has struggled to keep that number north of 7.00 in the seasons since. His 6.71 mark from last season was good for 11th in the league, which was in line with his 6.96 mark of 2018, which was the tenth-best number in the league. Then there is Expected Completion Percentage. That number for Rodgers was 63.8%, which was higher than his actual Completion Percentage of 62%. That difference of -1.8% ranked Rodgers among such notables as Eli Manning, Marcus Mariota and Andy Dalton.
And yet, can you really in your heart count Rodgers out completely? Traits-wise, he remains an elite player. But the numbers have not backed that up recently. With the Packers and Matt LaFleur moving to a more San Francisco style of offense, with more 21 personnel usage and play-action, Rodgers could be in position to improve his productivity in the season ahead. While his play-action numbers were woeful in 2018, they did improve slightly in 2019, giving Packers fans cause for hope. But for now, he’s still one of the game’s best, but there are others we might trust more to make that one throw.