Earlier this year he said there really hasn't been any advancement with his recovery and then shortly after there were videos of him throwing pregame. That's been his schtick this entire time. He lives to dump cold water on national reporters.
The return on investment is now! Rodgers is "back on the field" before the deadline for paying for next year's tickets!
do you know how stupid your take is. do you realize the Cincinnati Bengals are 4-28 under Zack Taylor without Joe Burrow. What was your plan ? Bring it back with Zach? Sign Derek Carr?
The only stupid take this winter was anybody that honestly thought bringing in a $50m 40yo QB, coming off a decline year and with Hackett as our OC, was actual a good roster building approach for *this* young team. My plan would of been the same as what i'm guessing pretty much anybody else's would of been heading into the winter and before people started gobbling down the pipedream kooldaid. Priority #1 above all else you make the best possible OC hire. Somebody who would both offset Saleh's weaknesses, and be the guy you are gonna trust for the next couple of years to finally build an offense that actually works. No cart before the horse and all. You then let *them* have a personalized shot at picking who they think can be their next Gino/Goff/Tannehill reclamation project off the fairly decent FA pool consisting of some the best backup QBs (Winston, Minshew, Brissett, Dalton, ect ect). Heck topping out at the 1y/$8m pricetags they were getting and given the opportunity we could offer that other's couldn't....pick 2 and let them compete for the job in camp. With year 1 basically aiming to be run heavy and more of the Breece Hall show. From there and after *not* spending $100m on an aging out 40yo QB 1 foot into retirement...you cut bait on Zach. If you find a change of scenery taker out there great. If not and unlike what we saw happen...you don't get too hung up on the otherwise efficiency appeal of *not* taking the semi gross dead money hit on top of still having to spend out for a replacement BU and you just cut that cord. If the team doesn't want and can't end up having Zach play QB in 2023 he simply has to go. Keep all your picks. Be a little more aggressive in FA targeting the players you want, and not anybody your QB is trying to do life favors for. Keep building and grinding away. Re-access and talk about how legit our chances of making a playoff run really are once we actually see a working offense in place and not just the hope of one.
That will also be the same proposed plan I'll hope to see play out a year from now as well after next year's groundhog day episode plays itself out. And when Rodgers hold on the team is finally gone to allow it.
things aren't always static. you have to look at timelines. sometimes you have a plan and something changes that makes you change that plan. If you want to look at the broad spectrum of things, QB was our weakest position. we had a chance to land one of the best to ever do it. Sure rodgers had a "down year" but his down year was better then anything we had and he was playing with a broken thumb and a new OC and a bunch of rookie/young WRs after losing tae in the offseason. he's also only making 37.5m he took a paycut
The Rodgers acquisition was always bittersweet to me. We've been desperate for decent QB play for years and I appreciated it for that, but it was always a short-term rental given his age. It opened up a ~2 year championship window during which we'd have a shot. Unfortunately, it also hindered our prospects of building a sustainable contender because of his cost and associated side effects (Hackett, Lazard, Cook...).
we were never going to build a contender until we hit on a real QB in the draft or signed one though so it's one of those damned if you do, damned if you don't. that was the argument with carr. carr would have given us more longevity but rodgers gives us a better chance for the next 2 years.
As you know yourself, until we draft a star QB, we will not win sustainably. That's why were all in on the tank in 2020. Unfortunately we lost to Jax and they got our guy. So, it's not like Rodgers acquisition is bittersweet, it's more like the fact we did not come out of 2021 draft with the FQB is. Now our best chance is to do what Denver/Bucks/Rams did. After that ultimately we will have to find a way to get a stud QB in the draft. And it's pretty hard to score a Hurts in the second round, almost impossible. Usually you would need a top overall or top two overall pick, like Burrow, Stroud, Lawrence, and even then it's a crapshot.
The teams that won the SB signing expensive veteran QBs already had very complete rosters that were only a QB away. The lie for us, and several teams is, "we are only a QB away" - even though we haven't had a winning season in 6 years. We did what Indy, the current Broncos, and Cleveland have been doing. Sign an expensive vet to a roster that wasn't ready for the big time.
It could have been ready if JD did what most fans were begging him to do: don't give up a pick swap, draft Broderick Jones, then trade up in the 4th and get Dawand Jones. Some were asking to bring Fant back, who was truly hurt last year. At the trade deadline get Ezra Cleveland. All these guys are doing well. Instead we went with Duane Brown. These were not costly moves and not revisionist history: it was all suggested at the time. It's really the O line I feel is 90% of the problems. Had that been done, we probably have Rodgers still and a lot less injuries because good OLines get injured less (according to doctors specializing in risk analysis - posted in OLine thread). Basically it's the same plan for next year, we just need to execute on this plan and not fuck up again. Plus need another WR. All doable within one offseason and should have already been done if JD pulled his head out of his ass and starts paying attention this time or someone else takes over.
Draft OL + bring in Evans or Tae Draft a WR + bring in the best OL available $70m in cap after restructures in the offseason. Run it back in 24 and maybe 25.
cleveland is still winning despite missing their QB and RB. Rams did it with stafford upgrading over goff they already had a decent QB but gave up picks for an upgrade and won the SB. denver looks good as of late this year and should make the playoffs. their issue last year was coaching and they had a rocky start this season. Indy is preetty much the only one and even then they didn't go "all in" they just knew they needed a QB and made a move for one.
If the Jets scored the league average of 23 ppg last year they would have went 14-3. Instead we averaged 17 ppg. You're telling me Rodgers doesn't have this team scoring 6 more PPG than zach wilson this year? When healthy, this team actually is a QB away from competing for the Lombardi. That's the disgusting part about the injury 4 plays in. You would at worst be 6-5 right now with AR at QB.
