The 2022 season of the Green Bay Packers did not go as planned. When they knew Aaron Rodgers would be back in rural Wisconsin for his 18th season, they thought about winning four straight division titles.
But for 15 weeks, the football team was never the same, and now Green Bay is in an unusual situation where it is fighting to make the playoffs. The team that replaced the Packers at the top of the North Division is coming to Green Bay, where the NFC playoff seeding is still up in the air.
The idea of sweeping the Packers in the regular season has to be on the minds of these Vikings, especially Za’Darius Smith. This hasn’t happened to the Vikings since 2017.
Two time zones west of the 125th Border Battle, the Raiders will sit Derek Carr for the last two games of the season. Carr is the man Davante Adams left Aaron Rodgers for. The Raiders are not officially out of the playoffs, but it would take a miracle from McDaniels for them to make it.
Is Aaron Rodgers Affected by Derek Carr’s Benching?
I’m old enough to remember when Aaron Rodgers was rumored to be retiring and being traded this summer before the Packers gave him a three-year, $150 million contract extension.
David Bakhtiari, Aaron Rodgers, Yosh Nijman and Aaron Jones are among those off the injury report that will play Sunday against the Vikings.
Christian Watson and Keisean Nixon are questionable.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) December 30, 2022
Now that Green Bay has seen how average their team is in a division that is getting better, they may think twice about that trade, even though they want him back for the 2023 season.
If the Packers win the rest of their games, make it into the playoffs, and even win a playoff game, the whole story might change. The season will be seen as a big turnaround, with another “run the table” by Aaron Rodgers and a meal made from leftovers.
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But if the 12-3 Vikings come to Lambeau Field and pull off the upset – yes, upset – to end the Packers’ season, they may also end the Aaron Rodgers Era in Green Bay.
A loss would ruin a season that started with so much hope after three straight 13-win seasons under Matt LaFleur’s guidance. Green Bay may think that going to the Super Bowl is less likely than they had hoped after a season in which their offensive line’s long-time leader, David Bakhtiari, got old and hurt and their wide receivers weren’t consistent.
With Aaron Jones’s contract having an opt-out clause and Rodgers’s possible successor waiting for his chance, Green Bay will have to think about how to move forward with their Hall of Fame quarterback. If they both agree that it’s best for both of them to break up, the first place they should go is Las Vegas.
What about Rodgers?
Las Vegas has already shown its hand, so next season they will be looking for a new quarterback. The Raiders just got Adams to go with Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow, so it’s likely they won’t be interested in a quarterback project and will want to go after the big game.
The Minnesota Vikings have one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL this season. Aaron Rodgers only needs 172 TDs this sunday, to pass Tom Brady for most career TD passes 👀 pic.twitter.com/NRa3YlBHR0
— Adderall Alexander⭐ (@Ferd_Turgeson) December 30, 2022
Green Bay has the perfect chance to join the discussion now that the Raiders are in trouble. If Las Vegas shows that it is desperate, it may be more willing or obligated to take on a larger portion (or all) of Rodgers’ gaudy $50 million annual check, which would normally be impossible to trade.
Also, Adams and Rodgers were arguably the most dangerous duo in the NFL before Adams left. This move would bring them back together. Adams would be upset if his friend and quarterback left all of a sudden, which was one of the main reasons he was ready to leave Rodgers and Green Bay.
This move might help Adams feel better, at least in part. Aaron Rodgers playing for Silver and Black in 2023 might seem impossible, but it might not be that far-fetched. No one but me is thinking about it.
Final Lines
The Vikings may have a chance to make the vision come true in a season full of magical moments. The only thing that would make ending their rival’s season by sweeping the season more satisfying would be ending 31 years of Hall-of-Fame quarterback play that has been a pain for the Vikings and the rest of the NFC North.
As the Vikings team bus pulls out of the Lambeau Field parking lot at 8 p.m. on Sunday, you can almost hear it: “Happy New Year to all, and to all, a good night,” a voice that sounds like Za’Darius Smith shouts across the frozen tundra.
This happens while Packer fans are in their beds thinking about what could have been. Follow us only on Lee Daily for more news like this.
