Is Aaron Rodgers In The Top Five Of Great QB’s?

Earlier this week, Green Bay Packers quarterback, Aaron Rodgers signed a four-year extension for $134 million with $103 million in guaranteed dollars. In terms of average annual value, Rodgers will be the highest-paid player in NFL history.
With the ink still fresh on his record-breaking contract, it’s time to take an in-depth look at where Aaron Rodger’s career ranks among the pantheon of great quarterbacks.
Let’s start with the talent. Guys like Dan Marino and John Elway got eyeballs on them simply because their ability alone and rightfully so. Both Marino and Elway are textbook-worthy passers. Simply put, if you want to be a quarterback watch those two, and you’re well on you’re way.
However, Aaron Rodgers is a graduate course in passing. No other quarterback has ever had as tight a spiral, as strong of an arm, as accurate of an arm, and let’s not forget his feet. He’s one of few quarterbacks to ever be more dangerous outside the pocket than inside. Only the likes Fran Tarkenton, Steve Young, and Roger Staubach compare, and even then they couldn’t throw on the run as well as Rodgers.
But let’s take a step back, because talent is subjective to say the least. So allow me to look at something a tad more objective, stats.
In the course of 13 seasons, Rodgers has thrown for 38,502 yards, 313 touchdowns with only 78 interceptions. Rodgers is the first quarterback to throw for 300 TD’s before throwing 100 interceptions. Rodgers also has the highest career passer rating in NFL history with 103.8. Also in the 10 seasons he has been the primary starter, Rodgers has only thrown for a double-digit number of INT’s in two of those seasons. In those other 8 seasons, Rodgers has thrown for 30 TD’s or more in 6 of those seasons.
To put that stat into context, neither Peyton Manning or Drew Brees has had more than two seasons with single-digit interceptions. The only quarterback that compares is Tom Brady with 7 seasons single-digit interceptions.
That’s where Rodgers hits a road block. There’s only one quarterback who’s definitively better in a career sense than Aaron Rodgers and that’s Tom Brady. For every major achievement Rodgers gets, Brady one-ups him every time.
Whether it be Super Bowl rings, conference championship games, and playoff victories in general, Brady beats every quarterback ever, not just Rodgers.
Even then though, Rodgers has provided enough of an argument to not only be a top five quarterback but maybe even second.
