The Green Bay Packers have a 68 percent chance of making the playoffs if they win out, according to the New York Times’ playoff scenario generator. Yet one loss could end all hope and leave players pondering what will happen this offseason. That includes Aaron Rodgers, who holds the future of the franchise in his hands if he decides to play another year or retire.
All along, Rodgers has maintained that his decision will come down to how he feels physically and mentally. However, earlier in the season, he stated that the development of rookie receivers Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson will factor into his decision.
“There’s some moving pieces, but that’ll factor in for sure. Seeing the development of those guys can’t help but be a part of the decision,” he said at the beginning of October.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rodgers also values the relationships with his veteran teammates. Rodgers’ best friends on the team include Marcedes Lewis, Randall Cobb, and David Bakhtiari, who are all in their 30s and have a pending status with the team heading into 2023. On Wednesday, Rodgers wasn’t afraid to admit that their futures, among others, are also a part of his decision.
“Those relationships are really important to me,” said Rodgers. “It’s more than just those guys, I think there’s three or four other guys on offense who have kind of unsettled futures, so I’m sure keeping those guys around would definitely give me something to look forward to.”
Age is probably the biggest concern for both Lewis and Cobb. Both players are in the twilight of their careers but may be candidates for one-year contracts. Rodgers, of course, lobbied to bring Cobb back in 2021, and at age 32, Cobb has shown he can still be a reliable target with 29 catches on 44 targets for 381 yards.
Meanwhile, Rodgers uses every chance he gets to praise Lewis for his work ethic and leadership. There’s no denying that Lewis is invaluable to the locker room and still a reliable blocker, but it is hard to ignore his 39th birthday in May. Perhaps the team will be open to giving Lewis the veteran minimum if he doesn’t want to retire.
Bakhtiari is also a very unique case study. He and Rodgers are famous for cruising around on a golf cart to and from practice, but Bakhtiari has been troubled by a knee injury ever since he was made the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history just over two years ago.
When healthy, Bakhtiari has proven he can still play at a high level. However, the uncertainty around his availability makes it tough to justify paying him the $62 million he is due in 2023 and 2024. Earlier this month, general manager Brian Gutekunst notably stated “left tackles don’t grow on trees” when asked about the future of Bakhtiari. That certainly sounds like the team would want to have him on the roster, even it if means restructuring his current deal.
The other three or four players Rodgers is referring to are open to debate but most likely include the likes of Allen Lazard, Robert Tonyan, Aaron Jones, and Elgton Jenkins. Three of those players are scheduled to become free agents, while Jones’ contract will have a $20 million hit on next year’s salary cap. With limited space to work with, it will be hard to bring everyone back.
Rodgers knows as well as anyone that football is a business that requires tough decisions. His desire to keep playing next year will be the talk of the offseason, but there are plenty of moving parts to consider.
