If Aaron Rodgers’ 2022 decline lasts into 2023, it’s going to cost one Milwaukee bar a whole bunch of money.
Jack’s American Pub, a bar in Milwaukee’s Lower East Side, is going above and beyond the typical Cream City tradition of doling out free shots via games of bar dice. They’ll be tempting one of America’s thirstiest cities with the promise of roughly four hours worth of gratis booze throughout the fall. And it all hinges on Rodgers playing like a man who’s about to turn 40 years old.
Jack’s new promotion celebrating Rodgers’ departure from the franchise he’d called home from 2005 to 2022 is simple. Every time the four-time MVP and one-time Super Bowl champion starts and his New York Jets lose, the restaurant will cover your bar tab.
There is, of course, fine print involved. The covered tabs must be opened at least 15 minutes before kickoff and don’t include food. The offer only applies if Rodgers is starting and the Jets’ showdown doesn’t coincide with a Packers game — something that’s scheduled to happen only four times this season. You also have to be present the entire game to cash in that ticket.
It’s a bold move whose financial impact weighs heavily on a quarterback who is coming off his least efficient season as a starter (albeit while surrounded with the worst receiving corps of his career). Rodgers is a 39-year-old who still has plus arm strength but whose running ability is waning as he sloughs toward his Tom Brady years. Rodgers’ 13 scrambles last season were a career low, which is alarming when you consider how that mobility has bought him time behind the line of scrimmage to make highlight reel throws downfield.
There’s also the stakes of buying Wisconsinites alcohol — a real gamble when you’re dealing with a state responsible for seven of the 10 drunkest cities in America (Milwaukee missed that cut but did manage to place 20th overall). Jack’s is betting the Jets win a whole bunch this year (meaning football fans who popped by for the promotion pay their full tab) and, when they do lose, a crowd of tipsy patrons loads up on food to soften the loss of thousands of dollars worth of comped drafts and brandy old fashioneds.
Either way, it’s a good deal for Packers fans in Milwaukee. Either they get a free tab or they pay market price for a bunch of great local beers like Lakefront, City Lights and (OK, not totally local but definitely on tap and great) New Glarus. Just remember to tip your servers on the full tab amount when Rodgers inevitably goes down in flames and starts searching for teammates to blame.
