Long time Packers legend Aaron Rodgers is finally spreading his wings and flying away… not literally. He is, however, moving to the New York Jets over this offseason. This move marks the near two year tension between Aaron Rodgers, the Packers, and the city of Green Bay. Even though the Packers parted ways with Rodgers, they were able to recover a healthy amount of young players to support Jordan Love, Rodgers’ replacement. In short, the Packers received a roster of later round picks, headlined by a pick swap from the fifteenth pick to the thirteenth. With this pick, the Packers took Luke Van Ness, an edge rusher from Iowa. While Van Ness is a quality player, many thought Jackson Smith Njigba, a wide receiver from Ohio State, was the better option. 

Jordan Love is undisputedly an unfinished project. While he has shown signs of improvement, he still has a long way to go. Risky decisions and an unwillingness to throw the ball downfield are the headlining issues for Love. Aaron Rodgers checks two of these boxes as he threw league records of low interceptions and had record high downfield passes in his time with the Packers. While last year was a down year for Rodgers, he was still the undisputed starter over Jordan Love. 

This being said, Love does offer a promising future for the Packers. He moves very well in the pocket, has good accuracy and the power to control the offense. The other advantage that the Packers have is a top 10 running core. Giving Love a rest some plays by running the ball is a great formula for success, and the Packers will most likely be a run heavy offense this year. This is due to the wide receiving core. 

Wide receiver prospects such as Romeo Dobbs and Christian Watson are promising and exciting for the Packers though they may not be headlining names. This paired with an average-at best-tight end squad, and the team has a nothing special, run of the mill squad to catch balls this year. A possible solution to this problem could be Aaron Jones. Jones is one of the best running backs in the league, but the solution to this problem would not see him get balls behind the line of scrimmage. Jones has shown his unique talent as a running back to catch balls and is consistently lining up to run routes for Green Bay. This could be a great solution as it would provide a fast and reliable player for Love to throw too. If not that, then there is always the trade block. The Packers still have four months, and the first eight weeks of the season, to trade for a possible wide receiver. 

While the Packers have a promising future, moving on from Rodgers won’t be an easy task. Aaron Rodgers was a god in Green Bay and promised a bountiful regular season almost every year. The only knock on Rodgers is his arguable lack of postseason success, winning one NFC championship in 15 years. However, he did manage to win a Super Bowl after the team’s one NFC championship win against the North Division foe, the Chicago Bears. 

In closing, moving on from Rodgers will be hard. He was a legend in Green Bay and brought so much success to the small town. Even though the Packers have to move on, a bright future is on the horizon and is a cause for excitement in The Frozen Tundra.