Will Aaron Rodgers' patience pay off with a Super Bowl?
By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist
When Aaron Rodgers’ five hours of waiting finally ended with a walk across the stage of New York’s Javits Center in April 2005, he was met with some words of wisdom.
Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue was waiting for the quarterback out of Cal, who had plummeted all the way from a potential No. 1 selection to No. 24, a painful slide made more embarrassing by the fact that he’d spent all that time in a long-emptied green room.
"Good things come to those who wait," Tagliabue said, as he offered a handshake and patted Rodgers’ arm.
Rodgers was no stranger to waiting then, and there would be more of it in his future. Coming out of high school, Rodgers’ big college opportunity didn’t come right away, as he spent a year at Butte Community College preceding a switch to Cal.
Once he arrived in the NFL, Rodgers sat and learned from Brett Favre for three years before getting the opportunity to spearhead the Green Bay Packers. But as it turned out, Tagliabue was right. The good things have come, with Rodgers winning three MVP awards and a Super Bowl title 11 years ago.
Compared to all the patience he has been required to exercise thus far, the next three weeks — the time between now and the next meaningful game the Packers will play — are relatively short.
Yet patience itself is a different concept when you’re late in your career. For all of Rodgers’ recent positivity surrounding the franchise and the way his relationship with key members of the organization seems to have been patched up, there is a sense of urgency and immediacy about these Packers and their hunt for a title.
All season, the idea that this is Rodgers’ last go-around in Green Bay has served as motivational fuel. Even though it now appears that the likeliest outcome for next season is his return, it would serve the team well to keep thinking that way.
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What we have once again gotten used to — Rodgers going out and dominating every week — was by no means assured before the start of the season.
Don’t forget, during the buildup to this campaign, it seemed eminently possible that he wouldn’t be playing this year, with a move into television one potential escape route.
"Instead of strapping on a cheddar-yellow helmet as the quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers, who impressed in a brief tryout as a [Jeopardy] guest host, would opt for a suit and tie, querying tweedy literates on topics like Roman history, Tasmanian fauna, and Items that Rhyme with Yam," Jason Gay wrote in the Wall Street Journal.
It would now be more of a shock if Rodgers were to move on to a new team, but Green Bay’s window of opportunity is not indefinite.
Sunday’s resounding victory over the Minnesota Vikings clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a week to spare, and yet again, the road to the Super Bowl flows through Lambeau. Such things confer no guarantees, though, as last year’s NFC Championship defeat to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved.
Injuries have plagued the Packers all season, and although wide receiver Randall Cobb, cornerback Jaire Alexander and offensive lineman David Bakhtiari appear to be headed for returns, the team's first-round bye will be welcome.
"It’s comforting to know we have that to lean on because we’re pretty banged up," Packers star wide receiver Davante Adams told reporters.
Rodgers has indicated that he plans to play Week 18 at the Detroit Lions, though you can expect backup Jordan Love to get some reps. After that, Green Bay will begin its postseason campaign by hosting a divisional-round game in what is predicted to be frosty Wisconsin weather.
"When you are rolling on offense, you get that extra little jolt because you know the defense is on their hold a little bit, and they are probably a little bit more cold than you are," Rodgers said. "We are happy with the No. 1 seed.
"Every year is definitely different. We have really good balance. This team has dealt with more adversity than the previous two. This year has been the same recipe. I like the vibe of this team."
Rodgers has been talked about plenty this season. With 35 touchdowns and four interceptions, it is difficult to see who could win the MVP award ahead of him. As such, FOX Bet currently lists Rodgers as a heavy MVP favorite, at -400.
Green Bay is also the favorite to win it all, at +375, and is two wins away from getting back to the biggest game in football for the first time since 2011.
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Rodgers is on a mission and seems happier with his situation these days, even offering some glowing words about the Packers management with whom he was previously so divided. The playoffs will unfold in their own way, but the Packers are where every team wants to be and appear to have the best thing any squad can hope for: the best opportunity.
Whatever comes next, Rodgers hopes it will have been worth the wait.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider Newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
