Rodgers Ranks No. 1 in Athletic’s Quarterbacks Survey

NFL coaches and executives raved about Aaron Rodgers' ability to win games physically and mentally.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The holes on his playoff resume might be maddening, but there’s no quarterback better than the Green Bay Packers’ four-time MVP, Aaron Rodgers.

The Athletic’s Mike Sando published his annual Quarterback Tiers on Monday. The results are based on the opinions of 50 NFL coaches and executives.

“The smirk, the shoulder shrug, the command of hurry-up tempo in 2-minute, he’s got it all,” one coach told Sando. “The head coach (Matt LaFleur) wants to run the field goal team on and Rodgers waves them off, calls another play, completes it to make the field goal try easier and burns enough time so the kickoff coverage team doesn’t have to run out there. The guy oozes Tier 1 in ways others QBs can only dream doing.”

While Rodgers has won only one Super Bowl – and that came way back in 2010 – the evaluators lauded Rodgers for his talent, intelligence and ability to elevate those around him. He won his third and fourth MVPs with only Davante Adams as a premier weapon in the passing game. In each of those seasons, he led the NFL in passer rating, touchdown percentage and interception percentage. That’s been done only three other times in NFL history. He is No. 1 all-time in touchdown-to-interception ratio by such a large margin that it’s almost comical.

Rodgers enters the 2022 season without a premier receiver but the belief is he’s good enough to find ways to keep the Packers on the short list of championship contenders. After all, he’s 7-0 without Adams the past three seasons.

When Rodgers steps to the line of scrimmage, he generally has all the answers. That’s what gives veteran quarterbacks such an overwhelming advantage. Defensive coordinators might fool Rodgers a time or two but, over the course of 60 or 70 snaps, Rodgers will win the mental game.

“It’s not enough to make a good read and see a coverage rotation and throw where he needs to throw,” a defensive coach said. “He wants you to know that he got you and look at the sideline with that smirk. He is outsmarting you … always trying to catch you in a blitz and throw a little smoke out, or whatever. He’s just an extreme challenge to go against, beyond any of these other guys that have talent.”

Rodgers is one reason why Green Bay is such an overwhelming favorite at FanDuel to win the NFC North for a fourth consecutive season. Rodgers is one of the great quarterbacks in NFL history. Meanwhile, in Sando’s rankings, Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins is 15th and Detroit’s Jared Goff and Chicago’s Justin Fields are well into the second half.

Click here for the full story, including more comments on Rodgers.

All-NFC North Offense

Our preseason all-NFC North team includes three members of the Green Bay Packers and eight unanimous selections.

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Packers (unanimous)

Rodgers, who has won back-to-back MVPs and four overall, is No. 1 in NFL history with a 4.83 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes (4.08), Russell Wilson (3.36) and Tom Brady (3.07) are the only quarterbacks at 3.00 or better. How dominant is Rodgers in this category? If he were to start this season with 16 interceptions and zero touchdowns, he’d still be ahead of Mahomes.

Running back: Dalvin Cook, Vikings (unanimous)

After injuries plagued his first two seasons, Cook has stayed healthy for at least 13 games in each of the last three years and has established himself as one of the NFL’s elite running backs with 4,955 total yards. He shines with a combination of vision, burst, agility, and power. Cook should be in line for another big season in 2022, perhaps with a larger receiving role in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

Receiver: Justin Jefferson, Vikings (unanimous)

Mike Zimmer didn’t put Jefferson in the starting lineup until Week 3 of his rookie year in 2020. The then-21-year-old broke out with an incredible 175-yard game that day and hasn’t looked back. He leads all players in receiving yards over the last two seasons and is at or near the top in almost every advanced metric among receivers. Jefferson is a true young superstar who is already the face of the Vikings’ franchise.

Receiver: Adam Thielen, Vikings

It’s been a while since Thielen put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2017 and 2018. He hasn’t gotten back to the 1K mark since then, as injuries and age have limited his production. Where he has continued to dominate is in the red zone; Thielen is one of four receivers with 30 receiving TDs since 2019. During that period, he’s dropped only eight passes.

Slot receiver: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (unanimous)

The younger brother of former Packers receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, really started to shine during the second half of his rookie season. His reception in the end zone against the Vikings gave coach Dan Campbell his first victory. His 90 receptions trailed only Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle among rookies, and he finished the season with eight catches for 109 yards and one touchdown against Green Bay.

Tight end: T.J. Hockenson, Lions

The eighth pick of the 2019 draft, it’s time for Hockenson to take the next step in his career following back-to-back seasons of 60-plus catches. Quarterback Jared Goff will be relying on Hockenson to stay healthy to provide another option in the passing game. New offensive coordinator Ben Johnson should have ample opportunity to unlock his potential, as he previously served as the team's tight ends coach.

Left tackle: David Bakhtiari, Packers (unanimous)

Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro, suffered a torn ACL on New Year’s Eve 2020. Would the Packers have reached the Super Bowl had he been on the field for the NFC title game against Tampa Bay? And would have last season ended differently had Bakhtiari made a successful comeback from the injury? When he last played in 2020, he gave up one sack.

Guard: Elgton Jenkins, Packers (unanimous)

Jenkins is another member of the Packers’ ACL Club. A Pro Bowl guard in 2020, he slid out to left tackle to replace Bakhtiari last season. In the process, Jenkins solidified his standing as one of the best linemen in the NFL. However, he suffered a torn ACL at Minnesota in November. When he’s healthy, he could return to guard or play right tackle.

Center: Frank Ragnow, Lions (unanimous)

The Lions’ offensive line unit has received plenty of praise this offseason. It is expected that Ragnow and Co. will gel quickly to protect Jared Goff and open holes for the speedy D'Andre Swift. Ragnow is a top player at his position, so his presence was felt the 13 games he missed after foot surgery. In 17 games the past two seasons, he allowed zero sacks.

Guard: Cody Whitehair, Bears; Jonah Jackson, Lions (tie)

Whitehair is the only Bears lineman who has been in the Pro Bowl, although it was at center in 2018 and not left guard where he is now. He allows an average of less than three sacks a year, and Pro Football Focus has graded him as high as an 87.5 but no lower than a 64.9 as a blocker throughout his career.

I was genuinely surprised the other insiders placed votes for Jackson. He made strides in Year 2 but, while he allowed only two sacks, but still allowed 35 pressures. His skills should greatly benefit the run game, which Dan Campbell wants to keep improving. If Jackson is able to continue his development as a pass protector, he could earn another Pro Bowl nod in 2022.

Right tackle: Brian O’Neill, Vikings (unanimous)

The Vikings haven’t had a homegrown offensive lineman like O’Neill in quite some time. He’s the definition of a steady and reliable at right tackle. Last season, he allowed one sack and constantly using his athleticism and technique to create holes in the running game. O’Neill made the Pro Bowl last year, making him the first Vikings OL to receive that honor in nearly a decade.

Kicker: Cairo Santos, Bears

Santos set the Bears’ record for field-goal accuracy in 2020 at 93.8 percent (30-of-32). Including last season, when he made 26-of-30, his two-year mark for Chicago is a lofty 89.1 percent. He made a run at the NFL record for consecutive field goals of 44 held by Adam Vinatieri, hitting 40 straight before a 2021 miss. He’s doing this outdoors and at one of the league’s worst facilities for kickers.