National Football League

Has Aaron Rodgers had a better career than Brett Favre?

Published Jun. 8, 2022 6:46 p.m. ET

Aaron Rodgers has three years left on his contract. He’s not sure if he’ll play that long, but he said he’ll "definitely" retire with the Packers.

His future has been a sticking point for the past two years amid contract disputes and Green Bay drafting Jordan Love in the first round in 2020. Rodgers’ status was seemingly resolved in March when he and the club agreed to a new deal that would take him into his forties. The only question now is how much longer the 38-year-old QB wants to play.

He’s already put in 17 years with the Packers, 14 as the starter. His tenure is comparable to that of Brett Favre, who played 16 seasons for Green Bay and 20 seasons total.

In light of Rodgers’ possible retirement after the 2022 campaign, Colin Cowherd projected the reigning MVP’s output this fall and pitted his résumé against his legendary predecessor’s. After taking another look, Cowherd sided with Favre.

"I’ve been, in my mind, more of an Aaron guy than a Favre guy," Cowherd said Wednesday on "The Herd." "He’s more efficient. But let’s be honest about this league: It’s about winning."

Aaron Rodgers says he is 'definitely' finishing career with Packers

Colin Cowherd looks ahead at how Aaron Rodgers will fare without Davante Adams and predicts the QB's season-long stats, then compares his career play to Brett Favre's.

The two QBs are close.

Each won a Super Bowl, but Favre led the Packers to a second appearance. He went 13-11 in the postseason and 186-112 in the regular season. Cowherd is forecasting a 12-5 campaign for Green Bay this year with a wild-card loss, which would bring Rodgers’ career marks to 11-11 in the playoffs and 151-71 in the regular season. While he won at a markedly higher clip in the regular season, Favre made far more starts and experienced a bit more postseason success.

"Favre’s got all the stuff I care about: more Super Bowls, more playoff wins, more touchdown passes and more available," Cowherd asserted.

Both are multi-time MVPs, though Rodgers holds a 4-3 edge there. Cowherd is predicting his numbers to drop off 10% from last year given his age, the loss of Davante Adams and an improved NFC North. That would generate the following stat line: 62%, 33 touchdowns, five interceptions, 230 passing yards per game, 99.9 passer rating.

Here’s how Rodgers’ career numbers would shake out next to Favre’s:

Rodgers: 63.7%, 482 TDs, 98 INTs, 228.7 pass YPG, 97.8 rating
Favre: 62.4%, 508 TDs, 336 INTs, 237.9 pass YPG, 86.0 rating

"Aaron played in a more quarterback-friendly NFL than Favre, and a more offensive-friendly sport than Favre," Cowherd opined. "My thought was always, Aaron’s the better of the two. But I’d look at those numbers and say, I take the Favre guy. I’d take what he did."

There’s still time, of course, for Rodgers to add even more to his totals and guide the Packers on another deep playoff run. If he doesn’t, his career might feel a bit unfulfilled in relation to his talent and opportunity.

"Aaron’s been in a division that’s mostly been awful for most of his career. He’s had two offensive coaches. He’s had numerous Pro Bowl offensive linemen," Cowherd noted. "I think Aaron left more on the table, if he were to retire after next year. I always thought the gap was much more Aaron favorable, but if this is the end of it, because I also thought five years ago he’d win another Super Bowl."