GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Aaron Rodgers is coming back to Green Bay, and local Packers fans are feeling pretty good about it. However, some remain cautiously optimistic about the Green and Gold’s chances for another Super Bowl.
When the report from the Pat McAfee Show became official, we went straight to a stronghold for Green Bay Packers fans – Stadium View Bar & Grill in Ashwaubenon. Some of the people there for lunch hadn’t even heard the news yet. Tiffany Orzech couldn’t figure out how to react.
“Shocking! I thought for sure that he was not going to be coming back this year. I wasn’t expecting it, at all!” Orzech told WTAQ News. “My heart wants to know that he retires a Packer, but the way he’s been showing his personality lately, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had gone somewhere else.”
Other people at the bar had similar reactions.
“Honestly, it’s a sigh of relief. We don’t have to deal with the whole offseason of drama and everything that’s been going on for the last couple years,” said Emmanuel. “There’s no more ‘Do I want to stay – do I want to go? Do I want to stay – do I want to go? Do I want to stay – do I want to go?’ Now it’s set in stone. He’s here for the next four years. Let’s just go from there.”
When the deal’s reported salary came out, there was simply a feeling of incredulousness.
“I didn’t know we had $200 million to give!” Orzech laughed. “I know the whole team’s not the quarterback, but he definitely helped a lot. So I’m happy to think we might have another shot the Super Bowl hopefully, maybe two or three, that be great. But if they’re really giving that much money, it makes me worried that we’re not going to be able pull in any other players.”
“It’s a lot of money! But hopefully we can figure something out, get some pieces around him on the offense. A secondary wide-receiver would be really nice,” Emmanuel added.
“If we paid $50 million for quarterback that, the last 2 years in a row, we haven’t gotten past the first round of playoffs and were the number one seed – what did we do?” said Tom Ewing.
That reported salary number is being disputed by one particular insider:
Hey everyone, just wanted to clear some things up; YES I will be playing with the @packers next year, however, reports about me signing a contract are inaccurate, as are the supposed terms of the contract I “signed”. I’m very excited to be back
#year18
— Aaron Rodgers (@AaronRodgers12) March 8, 2022
Ewing’s sentiment raises a lot of questions about Rodgers and the rest of the team as well.
“He’s the best quarterback in the league, but it’s not helping us. It’s not getting us past that first round of the playoffs. We’ve had three hall of fame quarterbacks and we’ve won four Super Bowls in 49 years? I don’t know, but something’s got to change…The number one scoring offense in the league put up ten points in the playoffs against the 49ers? Something is wrong there.”
But Emmanuel says the Packers are certainly better with Rodgers under center, as opposed to their other options.
“It was a mistake, in my opinion, in drafting and using that first round pick on [Jordan Love]. It’s tough, but at the end of the day, it’s football. We’ve gotta do what we’ve gotta do to win, and I don’t see him playing for us as long as Rodgers is here,” Emmanuel said. “If Rodgers goes to the Broncos or the Steelers or whoever else – do you think that gets us closer to a Super Bowl? Love is not getting us closer to a Super Bowl…That continuity of just having Rogers there and being able to build around him. Rogers would not have signed that deal, I don’t think, if they weren’t going to make some guarantees as far as personnel.”
Rodgers impact on the team is irrefutable, considering his four total MVP awards – two of them coming in the past two seasons. But his impact on the community is also a factor. Just down the block at Discover Green Bay, their thinking about what his return means for tourism.
“We’ll welcome him back with open arms! He’s certainly got a proven track record in drawing visitors into the area. He is an incredible quarterback to watch play, and it’s certainly great news for the tourism industry,” said Discover Green Bay President, Brad Toll. “I think it’d be cool for him to finish his career here in Green Bay, where he started. It’s quite a story, and he’s a player that’s known all across the country and around the world…It would be wonderful if he does hang in with us for those four years, maybe bring in two or three Super Bowls during that time. We’re so close!”
Toll says there was a slight dip in tourism when Rodgers took over for Brett Favre in 2008, but nothing significant. He predicts when Rodgers eventually decides to hang up the cleats, a similar trend will occur.
“He’s one of the players that’s a caretaker right now, but the team has been around for a long time,” Toll said.
The team has also reportedly franchise tagged wide receiver Davante Adams for $20.1 million next season, which would bring back two of the Packers’ most impactful offensive players.
