Most professional football fans, at least those who haven’t been stuck on a deserted island for the last twenty seasons, appreciate the acronym G.O.A.T. Knowledgeable sports fans realize that it means the “Greatest of All Time.” In the NFL, there is often a healthy debate over who is the “GOAT” quarterback in the history of the league.
No discussion about who is the best quarterback in NFL history would seem plausible without adding a member of the Green Bay Packers. In fact, when most top-20 lists are written down, three names of Packer fame make the list. Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers career has earned him a spot on this G.O.A.T list and here’s why.
Part of a Packer Quarterback Legacy
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Adolph Kliebhan took the first snap behind a Packers center in 1921. Albeit a very brief, one start career followed by a sudden retirement, Kliebhan was the first. Over the years, names like Red Dunn, Arnie Herber, and the legendary Tobin Rote operated as the field general for Green Bay.
However, it was late in the 1956 season when the first of the great Packer quarterbacks took his inaugural snap under center. Ironically, this was the season Rote set the NFL record for most total touchdowns in a season, 18 passing plus another 11 on the ground. Green Bay thought so much of Starr’s talent, Rote left for greener pastures in 1957, and number 15 took over for good.
Bryan Bartlett “Bart” Starr would become a legend at Lambeau Field, in no small part because of winning the first two Super Bowls. Since many equate greatness with winning, it’s worth noting that Starr is tied with Brady at five, for the most professional football titles won as a starting quarterback.
This might be the only weak spot that Aaron Rodgers Green Bay career is lacking. Make no mistake; Bart Starr will always live in infamy in the hearts of the Packer faithful. Green Bay’s recent success has been mediocre at best. However, Rodgers Green Bay Packers legacy is still being written.
In between Starr and the next most highly respected Packer QB is Brett Favre. Like Starr, Favre brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to Wisconsin. During his career, Favre set new benchmarks for Packer quarterback greatness.
But, Rodgers Green Bay Packers performances have erased many of the on-the-field records established by the man he took over for in 2008. Bart Starr and Brett Favre each have established themselves as fixtures in most discussions about who are the best quarterbacks of all-time from any team.
While championships will always be a benchmark, Rodgers Green Bay numbers have been better as a quarterback than most on this list. Here’s why the Green Bay Packers Rodgers may be the greatest Packer or NFL QB for that matter of all time.
Why Aaron Rodgers May Be the Greatest Quarterback of All Time
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There are a number of criteria that football experts throw around when grading the best players of all time. When they debate quarterbacks, championships, touchdowns and total yardage dominate most conversations. In today’s statistical age, things like TDs to interceptions and quarterback rating are used as a gauge to judge talent.
If a Championship Is the Benchmark, Rodgers Has a Ring
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As mentioned, owning a championship ring is a necessary requirement of some when talking about the greatest of all time in any sport. It goes without saying, that NFL quarterbacks are frequently measured against how many Lombardi Trophies they have hoisted during their career.
Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw are in an elite class. Brady has five titles, which many feel inks him as the G.O.A.T. when it comes to ranking NFL signal callers.
However, there are naysayers who dispel the notion that to be considered the best at your position should go beyond what are essentially team accomplishments.
Using that more-inclusive philosophy, names like Dan Marino, Dan Fouts, and Jim Kelly become worthy honorable mentions for great NFL quarterbacks who never won the Super Bowl.
Rodgers has won a Super Bowl as well. In addition to being a champion, his statistical numbers rival some of these former QBs who already have a bust in Canton, Ohio.
Fastest Quarterback to 250 Touchdown Passes
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Marino has been tabbed the single most prolific passer in football. When it comes to statistical passing numbers, most judge all NFL quarterbacks up against the former Miami Dolphin great. Consider for a moment that touchdown passes are another important benchmark with ranking quarterbacks.
On a cool Thursday evening in 2015, a night when Green Bay retired Brett Favre’s number 4, Aaron Rodgers flipped his 250th TD pass to running back Eddie Lacy. A noteworthy feat in its own right, but it was also a full seven games faster than the man with the original record, Dan Marino.
More Statistical Evidence for Aaron Rodgers Being the True GOAT
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While the Packers current fortunes need to improve, no one feels Rodgers doesn’t have a few more chances to add to his one Super Bowl title. He eclipsed one record most thought to be inked permanently in the NFL archives. Here are some other records in Aaron Rodgers Green Bay Packers career that support a vote for him as the GOAT.
o Two-Time NFL MVP – The NFL presents an annual most valuable player award. While this doesn’t always mean you won the championship, when a player does win the MVP, it’s a signal they were the best in the league that year. Aaron Rodgers Green Bay career has earned him a pair of NFL MVP awards.
o All-Time Career Passer Rating Leader – This might be the single-most noteworthy stat from the Green Bay Packers Rodgers career achievements. Rodgers not only is the highest rated QB of all time; he is a full four points better than second place.
He is the only quarterback in NFL history rated over 100. To further support the argument, two quarterbacks who are invariably part of the GOAT QB debate, sit at numbers 29 and 39. Rodger’s career QB rating of 103.7 is nearly 20 points higher than both Dan Marino and Brett Favre.
o Best Touchdown to Interception Ratio – Touchdowns are one of the positive ways quarterbacks are measured. Interceptions are frequently seen as the other side of this positive. The NFL has a ratio in which they rate quarterbacks based on both these stats collectively.
Aaron Rodgers owns the best TD to Interception Ration in NFL history at 4.20. Now, this is another noteworthy piece of statistical evidence for fans who support the idea Rodgers is really the true GOAT when it comes to NFL quarterbacks.
His 4.2 ratio is more than a full point better than that of New England’s Tom Brady, who many camps argue is the best. Here are a few more of the NFL records that Rogers has posted during his Packer career.
6 – Most consecutive seasons with his passer rating score at over 100.
511.49 to 1 – Highest passing yards to interception ratio in NFL history.
1.6% – Lowest career interception per pass attempt in NFL history.
99.4 – 5th highest passer rating during the postseason.
6.0% – Only Super Bowl era quarterback with a touchdown to pass ratio over 6.0.
There are other records that strongly support Rodgers as possibly the best QB of all time. He is one of only a trio of QBs to post a quarterback rating of at least 110. There are only three other QBs, along with Rodgers, who tossed 40 or more TD passes in a single season.
The Evidence Speaks For Itself
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When it comes to the statistical evidence, it’s impossible not to consider Aaron Rodgers as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, if not the greatest. Rodgers Green Bay Packer’s career statistics have him as one of the best passers ever to play the game.
When you consider the normal benchmarks used to rate the greatest QBs in professional football, Aaron Rodgers is either at or near the top of every list. Sure, Tom Brady, Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw have more titles, but they played on tremendous teams. Rodgers has continued to be a statistical marvel in the face of injuries and surrounded by suspect talent.
His hard-nosed, play every down style, is reminiscent of previous Packer quarterbacks like Starr and Favre. However, when all the evidence is considered, there is a strong argument that Aaron Rodgers is beyond just the most talented quarterback ever. He is the greatest NFL QB of all time and as soon as he is eligible, will have a bust carved for his spot in Canton, Ohio’s Hall of Fame.
The topic you gave to your post is full of suspense which I so much love the intriguing part. I am just getting to know that G O A T means greatest of all time which is an eye opener for me. I think i will give the GOAT award to parker because of his enthusiasm towards achieving success with his team.
Hmmm… I can see your point – You are making an argument that is often used for any sportsman from any sport who has amazing statistics but maybe not the end of season results that we all make a judgement of G.O.A.T on.
You see – as you point out, we tend to look at people as the best of the best when they lead teams to multiple end of season titles regardless of their statistics – afterall, this is why they all play the game. I imagine you could ask most QBs if they would rather 1 superbowl ring and amazing stats, or 6 superbowl rings and average stats (not that Brady’s are average). And if G.O.A.T is the greatest of all time then Favre and Star could also be argued in the same breath as Rodgers even if you are only talking about the Packers and not the entire league. You also have, in the current crop, Drew Breeze who has set a lot of records this year and also has one Superbowl ring.
Don’t get me wrong.. Rodgers is a brilliant player – one of the best. But in terms of being the G.O.A.T I am simply saying that in my opinion there is an intangible ability to win the big games that has to be considered as part of pure stats.
Thanks for the article – I really enjoyed reading it.
Paul
Thank you for your opinion and insight! Everything is debatable when it comes to these topics. Glad you enjoyed the read!
Thanks for writing the history on Green Bay packers on Aaron Rodgers might really be the Goat
at the beginning of the article I was like can a person be a goat and this really makes me even more interested in the article to find how about it
One of the thing I know about Rodgers is that he the has ability to change the game outside the pocket and this gives him the edge over Brady. “Aaron Rodgers is the better quarterback in my own few
Aaron Rodgers is very versatile and can usually get the job done when it’s needed most and in the heat of the battle!
What an incredible post.
It is really interesting and entertaining. You have done a great job gathering this information. I have once slightly heard about Aaron Rodgers as one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, if not the greatest. Having read through this post, I am convinced that he is really a G.O.A.T. what a funny acronym!
Hi! I agree with you! For me too Aaron Rodgers is the Greatest of all time quarterback. And you have stated the evidence.
I would like to highlight the points that make me arrive at that conclusion:
1. Reaching the record of 250 Touchdown passes. And completing it 7 full games faster than Dan Marino. 2. Two-Time NFL MVP.3. All-Time Career Passer Rating Leader
LOL, you make a pretty damn good argument and this is coming from a Raiders fan. (The Snake is our G.O.A.T.) Till the damn guy that they call the next Favre (D. Carr) can get his crap together and stop playing like he’s gonna get hit every time the ball is snapped. Okay sorry about that, you know after reading all the stat’s you have up (I’m not verifying anything btw) this is a logical argument. Now you have all these damn reporters and other’s that will talk to you till their blue and cold say that Brady is the G.O.A.T. but then again I’m a Raiders fan, and I’m with you but my opinion may be a little biased. Cheating, deflating, and all the other stories I feel are true means Brady is not the Greatest. My two cents and thanks for the read.
Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about Brady. The deflate-gate thing that went on really turned me off from Brady’s greatness. Glad you enjoyed the article. For me, it’s Rodgers all the way for G.O.A.T.
I’ll take Favre any day of the week!
I think Rodgers is better then Favre but Favre was an amazing quarterback in his own right. The Pack is excellent at picking quality quarter backs time and time again.