The whole mess of what happened with Brett Favre last summer is past me, and frankly, I swore off ever writing about it. I am ok with how things turned out, I think Packer fans as a whole either think the same way or have come to terms with it, and for as bad as the whole situation got in August, the end result was reasonable for all parties.
That said, the Packers were left with Aaron Rodgers, who, for whatever reason, was being written off by many as incapable of following in the footsteps of the legendary Favre before the season ever started. I heard one news outlet in Green Bay report that after a training camp practice, some little kid walked up to Rodgers and said, You're not my quarterback. You suck."" Undeniably, there were more than a handful of people familiar with the Packers organization who were ready to write him off without ever seeing him start a game.
This is a shame, because he has done reasonably well for himself to start the year off. Despite a 4-4 record, the Packers have racked up solid wins against Minnesota and Indianapolis and went to the wire with Tennessee Sunday.
Moreover, going into the game against the Titans, Rodgers had a quarterback rating of 98.8 - better than New York's Eli Manning, better than Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger, even better than Favre. With 13 touchdowns, 1,982 passing yards and just five interceptions in eight games, Rodgers has turned out to be the guy Packer fans were hoping he would be.
That is, so far he has turned out to be the guy Packer fans hoped he would be. That is why Friday's news about Rodgers signing a six-year contract extension worth $11 million a year caught a lot of people off guard. That is a lot of money to throw at a guy who has just eight full games under his belt and four wins as a starter.
From a fan perspective, this is a worrisome contract. At this point in the season, the Packers have anything but locked up a playoff spot and have a number of tough games to play. Does Rodgers' performance halfway through one season justify locking him up for the next six years? Given his history with injuries and a .500 start, you have to think not. My guess is that all of those Favre fans who are still livid over his departure threw bratwurst at their televisions when news of Rodgers' new contract first aired.
But from a business perspective, this was a move that had to be done. Like it or not, the Packers have anointed Rodgers as their franchise quarterback, and they have plenty of reasons to do so. Statistics aside, this guy has been under the tutelage of Favre from his first day as a pro until the end of last season - experience that is without question invaluable to a young quarterback. He has also had three years to get up to the speed and demands of the NFL game. I bet Alex Smith envies that from his fourth-string bench seat in San Francisco.
More importantly, if Rodgers does pan out to be a successful starter with Green Bay - even if it takes a couple of years to happen - this is a good contract. He is locked up at $11 million a year.
\\ Peyton Manning's contract extension back in March of 2004 was penned at $98 million over seven years. Roethlisberger signed a contract extension his past offseason for $102 million over eight years. Even rookie starting quarterback Matt Ryan in Atlanta has a $72 million contract over six years, and he signed his name to the dotted line before ever taking an NFL snap.
Rodgers will be good and needs to be paid like a good quarterback should, and the Packers know that if they don't, another team will. Besides, if Rodgers ends up being an elite quarterback who keeps a touchdown-to-interception ratio of four to one, this deal will end up being a steal.
Furthermore, the Packers gave the young quarterback motivation to step up to the plate and be everything his team wants him to be by showing their confidence in him. The day he signed the contract, he responded by saying, ""I appreciate the commitment that they've made, and I plan to reciprocate that commitment in my play and hopefully prove to them that they made the correct decision giving me this extension.""
If they are wrong, and the Packers end up tanking because they put too much faith in Rodgers and his future, I guess you could say that at the very least, it will give all of those fervent Favre fans and rear-view critics who disapprove of this extension a chance to say, ""I told you so.""
Is Rodgers really worthy of the job held by the infallible Favre? Tell Andy what you think at avansistine@wisc.edu.
