By the time the 2005 training camp was scheduled to begin, Rodgers had signed a rookie first round contract valued at $7.7 million over five years. It included $5.4 million in guaranteed money and enough reachable bonuses and escalator clauses to potentially be worth up to an impressive $24.5 million.
Rodgers showed up to the Packers camp on time, somewhat rare for first-round draft choices. He spent the summer and fall learning the Green Bay offense, working on his physical conditioning, and doing everything he could to prepare for life as an NFL quarterback.
As expected, he would end up spending the entire season as the backup to Brett Favre, who didn't miss a single game. That season, the team had a dismal 4–12 record. Rodgers got little playing time over the course of the season. Late in the year, he managed to secure brief appearances in several games and played well in a Packers win against the New Orleans Saints and in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Rodgers also ran the Packers scout team during practices. This mostly entailed emulating the quarterback that Green Bay would face each week. By doing this, as well as working hard in the training room and the film room, he began to earn the respect of his teammates, a crucial part of being a successful NFL quarterback. Teammates and receivers observed that he was executing throws in practice that even Favre couldn't make.
With months of drama and speculation swirling around whether or not Brett Favre would retire, Rodgers’ time to become a starting quarterback was teetering toward reality. However, Favre decided not to retire and instead continue his career through the 2006 season, so Rodgers was left in the number two quarterback spot on the depth chart.
That offseason the Packers had gotten a new head coach in Mike McCarthy, who had previously been the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, replacing Mike Sherman. McCarthy was known as another quarterback guru of sorts and worked extensively with Rodgers. In particular, McCarthy wanted to make Rodgers' throwing motion more compact and consistent. He also wanted Rodgers to take his footwork to an elite level. Rodgers embraced the teachings of McCarthy and set out to endear himself to the new head coach and continue in his own personal development as a player.
As the season got going, Rodgers continued to work hard. On November 19, 2006, disaster struck. Rodgers broke his left foot in a freak play against the New England Patriots in a 35–0 defeat in a home game in which he was filling in for an injured Brett Favre. He missed the remainder of the 2006 season.
The Packers went on to achieve a record of 8–8, the same as the New York Giants, however, the Giants held the tiebreaker over the Packers, launching them into the playoffs. The Packers would miss out for the second straight year.
Rodgers made a full recovery and was ready for the start of the 2007 season. The team hired a new quarterback coach in Tom Clements. As he had done with McCarthy during the previous offseason, Rodgers accepted all the coaching Clements had to offer. They spent countless hours reviewing game film from the previous year, working on his delivery, and doing everything possible to make Rodgers as good as he could be. With Brett Favre again contemplating retirement, Rodgers worked extensively with the Packers’ first team offense in training camp, building the confidence of his team and his receivers.
After the 2006 season, there was much speculation that the Packers might attempt to trade Rodgers to another team that needed him more than the Packers did, but that didn’t happen. Favre once again decided not to retire, committing Rodgers to yet another season as the team's backup quarterback.
The team would find itself returning to elite status by finishing the regular season with a record of 13–3 and earning a first round bye in the playoffs. In the second round, the Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks in a rout, winning 42–20, and advanced to the NFC Championship against the New York Giants. That turned out to be a very hard-fought game, played in the third-coldest game conditions in NFL history. The Giants defeated the Packers in overtime with a field goal, for a final score of 23–20 and advanced to the Superbowl, where they would go on to beat the New England Patriots for the championship.
As for Rodgers, he played in just one game that season, a November 29 contest against the Dallas Cowboys. In that game he completed 18 passes for 201 yards and zero interceptions, but the Cowboys defeated the Packers 37–27.
Rodgers becomes the man at last
After years of drama and intrigue each offseason about whether or not he would retire, on March 4, 2008, Brett Favre finally retired from the Green Bay Packers. This opened the door for Aaron Rodgers to finally emerge as a starting quarterback in the NFL. In the meantime, Favre decided to forgo retirement, however, instead of sacrificing Rodgers, the Packers' organization traded Favre to the New York Jets.
After another offseason working with his teammates, this time as the impending starting quarterback, Rodgers was ready to take the lead for the Packers organization. It is very common for quarterbacks to find a strong level of comfort with their tight end and Rodgers developed an affinity for both rookie tight end Jermichael Finley, who had been drafted in the third round out of Texas and would eventually go on to become a Pro Bowl player, and wide receiver Jordy Nelson out of Kansas State. The Packers had also drafted two new quarterbacks, Brian Brohm of Louisville and Matt Flynn of LSU, hedging their bet on Rodgers. Neither proved a threat to Rodgers, as Brohm was out of the league within two years and Flynn moved on to the Seattle Seahawks several years after that, after seeing Rodgers firmly establish himself in his new role.
In Rodgers' debut as a starter in game one of the season, many wondered if the Green Bay faithful would embrace Rodgers or boo him, as this was the first time since 1992 that any quarterback other than Favre had started a regular season game for the Packers. It didn’t take long to find out. Rodgers received a standing ovation when he was announced to the sell-out crowd. The fans’ faith in Rodgers was not misplaced. The Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings 24–19 at their home stadium, Lambeau Field. Rodgers finished the game with 178 yards passing and two touchdowns, one passing and one rushing.
That success carried over to the next week. In his second NFL start, Rodgers led the Packers to a win over the Detroit Lions in a blowout, 48–25. In that game, Rodgers threw for 328 passing yards and three touchdowns and was voted to receive the FedEx Air award for his achievement.
As the season went on, Rodgers achieved an impressive streak of 157 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. This was the third-longest such streak in franchise history, behind only Bart Starr (294) and Brett Favre (163). The streak ended in the fourth game of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, when Rodgers suffered a shoulder sprain severe enough to possibly sideline him the remainder of the season. Rodgers played through the injury, his toughness winning him further admiration from his teammates and coaches.
As the season went on, Rodgers sustained a rollercoaster level of success. The team struggled down the stretch and finished the season with a record of 6–10, missing the playoffs. Rodgers took the loss personally. Despite the outcome, Rodgers had clearly proven that he was the Packers’ best choice as a starting quarterback and, on October 31, 2008, he signed a six-year, $65 million contract extension that would take him through the 2014 season. The NFL recognized that Rodgers would be the man in Green Bay moving forward.
As Rodgers and the Packers moved on from the previous losing season, pressure on Rodgers was building. Much was expected from him. Packer fans expected Rodgers to step out of the shadow of Brett Favre and lead the Packers to great things. With the addition of two future Pro Bowl players, rookie linebacker Clay Mathews and defensive tackle B.J Raji in the draft bolstering the defense, along with the rise of Aaron Rodgers, good things began to happen for them in 2009.
In the opening game against the Chicago Bears, Rodgers earned the first comeback victory of his career. The Packers were trailing at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Rodgers completed a fifty-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gregg Jennings with about a minute remaining in the game. The Packers closed out the victory, winning 21–15.
Throughout October, Rodgers passed for 988 yards and completed 74.5 percent of his passes, earning himself the National Football Conference (NFC) Offensive Player of the Month award.
The first half of the season was not impressive. The team struggled to stay above a .500 winning percentage. This culminated in a week nine loss to the previously winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38–28, a game that the Packers had been forecasted to win handily. The loss brought the team's record to 4–4.
After that devastating loss, Rodgers was determined to take his game to the next level and make them winners. Rodgers proceeded to lead the Packers to five straight wins, putting up astounding numbers, throwing for 1,324 yards and nine touchdowns, with just two interceptions. The Packers won two of their last three games, finishing the second half of the season with a 7–1 record and an overall 11–5 record. This earned the Packers a wild card berth, as the fifth seed in the playoffs.
Rodgers became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in both of his first two years as a starter. This put him second all-time in the history of the Packers, behind only Lynn Dickey.
Rodgers' first playoff experience turned out to be an epic and historic game against the Arizona Cardinals on their home field of University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals jumped out to a 17–0 first quarter lead and it appeared they would cruise to victory. But Rodgers led his team to a dramatic comeback. The Packers scored 21 points in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. In overtime, the Packers got the ball first. Rodgers was holding the opportunity to win the game in his hands. On a crucial play, he overthrew wide receiver Gregg Jennings by just inches on a long bomb pass. Two plays later, Rodgers fumbled the ball while being sacked and it was returned for a touchdown by Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby, giving the Cardinals a 51–45 win in the highest scoring game in NFL playoff history. Despite the loss, Rodgers' performance was a historic one as well, as he went 28/44 passing with 422 yards in the air and four touchdowns, with just one interception. Despite his amazing performance, for Rodgers, the memory would always be marked by the fact that he fumbled away the win.
On the strength of his regular season performance, Rodgers earned a trip to his first Pro Bowl as a reserve for the NFC, behind Drew Brees of New Orleans and Brett Favre of Minnesota.
While the season ended in a loss, Rodgers had set many team records for passing, earned his first Pro Bowl selection, led his team to the playoffs for the first time, and established himself as an elite player in the NFL. All of this would help set the stage for the season to follow.
After coming so close and going so far in 2009, Rodgers and the Packers believed they were an elite team poised for a Superbowl run. Rodgers again spent the offseason working with his teammates and preparing himself for the coming season.
Once the season began, Rodgers led the Packers to a 2–0 start to the season. From there, the Packers lost three of their next four games, including back-to-back overtime losses. This put the team's record at 3–4, a record that could as easily have been 5–1, had they won two close overtime games.
Rodgers continued to shine throughout the season, although he did sustain a concussion early in the year. By week fourteen, the Packers were at 8–5 and seemed poised to make the playoffs.
In that game, Rodgers sustained his second concussion of the season, and backup quarterback Matt Flynn stepped in to replace him. The team lost that game to the lowly Detroit Lions 7–3.
The next week, against the New England Patriots, Rodgers sat out as he recovered from the previous week’s concussion. In that game, Matt Flynn fared better, playing almost as well as Rodgers, but the powerful Patriots beat the Packers 31–27. By missing the game, Rodgers also ended his streak of consecutive starts at 45, which is tied for the second-longest in team history, behind Brett Favre).
Rodgers came back the following week against the New York Giants and led the Packers to a decidedly lopsided 45–17 win. The team entered the final game of the year needing a victory to put them in the playoffs. Rodgers was up to the task. While his numbers were not impressive, 21/39 for just 168 yards and two interceptions with zero touchdowns, he did what was necessary for his team to win on the frozen tundra of Lambeau field. The Packers defeated the Chicago Bears, 10–7 and launched themselves into the playoffs as a wild card with the number six seed.
In the first round, the Packers defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 21–16 and Rodgers had an impressive game, throwing for 3 touchdowns. In the second (divisional) round, the Packers cruised to a 48–21 victory over the No. 1 seed, the Atlanta Falcons. Rodgers played a very strong game, going 31/36 passing with 366 yards and three touchdowns, and tying the NFL record for consecutive playoff games with at least three touchdown passes. Rodgers appeared poised to take his team to the next step.
The following week the Packers played the number two-seeded Chicago Bears. With a Superbowl berth on the line, Rodgers did not have a great game. He went just 17/30 passing with 244 yards and two crippling interceptions. Despite this, the Packers pulled out the win 21–14, thanks to nose tackle B.J Raji returning an interception eighteen yards for a touchdown for the winning score. The victory put the Packers into the Superbowl, making them the first number six seed in history to do so. They would now face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Entering Superbowl XLV, many pundits believed that Rodgers was not ready for the big time and that the more experienced Steelers would secure the victory. Once again, Rodgers seized the opportunity to make history. In a game that, once it had started, was never really in doubt, the Packers jumped out to a 14–0 lead in the first quarter and the Steelers never recovered. The Packers played the Steelers close to even for the rest of the game and sealed a 31–25 victory.
For Rodgers, his lifelong dreams had been realized. He had won the biggest game of his life on the biggest stage. In the game, he completed 24 of 39 pass attempts for 304 yards and three touchdowns. He was also named Superbowl MVP for his performance. After the season, he was named the FedEX Air NFL Player of the Year.
At that moment, Aaron Rodgers stood atop Mt. Everest. He was the quarterback of a Superbowl championship team, game MVP and Player of the Year all at the same time. He had achieved the success and lived the dream held by countless young football players. But Rodgers had already begun focusing on next season and what he could do for an encore.
Rodgers spent the offseason pushing himself to the limit, physically and intellectually, constantly searching for ways to improve himself and his game. He also spent time doing community work with his church.
The Packers rolled into the season with win after win. Rodgers thrived, winning FedEx Air Player of the Week six times, for weeks four, five, six, seven, nine and thirteen, and continuing to rack up passing records of every kind.
The Packers started the season 13–0, and proceeded to extend their winning streak to nineteen games, the second-longest in NFL history behind the twenty-one-game winning streak of the New England Patriots. They appeared to be heading toward a possible undefeated season, something every team covets. Often when a team comes that close, they, perhaps superstitiously, refuse to discuss it. This team was different. This team spoke openly about their desire to complete an undefeated season and to make history. They appeared extremely confident, perhaps cocky to some. Later, some would question whether their arrogance led to their doom.
In week fifteen against the mediocre Kansas City Chiefs, Rodgers and the Packers' offense could not get going. They went scoreless in the first half for the one and only time all season. In the second half, they made it into the end zone twice, scoring 14 points. This was not enough. In one of the biggest upsets of the year, the Kansas City Chiefs had beaten the heavily favored Packers 19–14, ending their hopes of a perfect season. And Aaron Rodgers experienced his first game of the season in which he did not throw for multiple touchdowns. With the loss, the Packers fell to 13–1.
From there, the Packers closed out the season with victories over both the Bears and the Lions. They entered the playoffs as the number one seed with a record of 15–1. At that point, they appeared poised for another Superbowl win.
In the divisional round of the playoffs against the New York Giants, it all came crashing down for Rodgers and the Packers. Rodgers went only 26-46 for 264 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Meanwhile, the Giants' Eli Manning had three touchdown passes as the Giants rolled over the Packers 37–20, ending the Packers' title defense in miserable fashion. The Giants went on to a Superbowl victory of their own.
Statistically, Rodgers had played the best season in his career thus far, throwing for 4,643 yards, 45 touchdowns and suffering just six interceptions. He also earned another Pro Bowl appearance. Despite great individual success, it would be a season remembered for what the Packers didn't do, missing out on both a perfect season and a run at the Superbowl
If Rodgers is anything, he is resilient. He will not rest. At this very moment he is likely off somewhere training to get back to the Superbowl.