Goodbye 12: Aaron Rodgers top 5 moments with the Packers

We all knew it was coming, but it doesn’t make it any easier. On Wednesday, future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers went on The Pat McAfee Show and said goodbye to the Green Bay Packers after 15 years as the starter.

The plan is to move on to Jordan Love, who, by all accounts, has a very bright and exciting future.

Aaron Rodgers is an icon and a football legend who owns some of the very best moments in franchise history. He will forever be missed for everything he did for this franchise, as the greatest player to ever wear the uniform.

Let’s look back at his five best moments in Green Bay as a thank-you for a legendary career.

5. Run the Table

One of the many legendary lines of Aaron Rodgers, “I think we can run the table.” This comment sparked the 2016 Packers from a 4-6 record to a run all the way to the NFC Championship Game.

This six-game stretch may have been the greatest of any in his entire career, dominating several divisional opponents along the way to earning a playoff berth.

4. Owning the Bears

There were too many moments to pick just one, but Aaron Rodgers owned the Chicago Bears his entire career in Green Bay. He even let the Soldier Field crowd know of his ownership after a rushing touchdown in the 2021 season.

The best performance of his entire career came against the Bears, firing six touchdowns in the first half of a 55-10 Packers victory in Week 10 of 2014. While this was his best game statistically, few were more emphatic than the season opener in 2018.

After leaving the game early with a knee injury, Rodgers made a triumphant return to the field. He proceeded to have a legendary performance on one leg, firing a touchdown to Randall Cobb for the game-winner.

Maybe the most crucial moment against the Bears came in the regular season finale of 2013, coming off a seven-game absence with a broken collarbone. This finale was essentially a playoff game, as Green Bay needed a victory to clinch the playoffs.

With their playoff lives on the line, Rodgers found Randall Cobb on a fourth-down touchdown that will go down in history as one of the biggest plays of his career.

3. Hail Mary King

Rodgers is known as one of the most talented throwers of football of all time. His arm strength and accuracy have always been deadly, allowing him to make throws that few others could.

Rodgers performed in the clutch, making three incredible Hail Mary throws over the course of his career. Two of them could be placed against any throw that has ever been made in the history of the National Football League, namely this one against the Arizona Cardinals in the playoffs.

His Hail Mary to rip the hearts out of Detroit was also legendary and arguably more iconic, although it didn’t occur in the playoffs. This throw seemed to scrape the ceilings at Ford Field, falling perfectly into the hands of Richard Rodgers.

The Hail Mary King also had another vintage playoff moment against the New York Giants, launching a bomb to favorite target Randall Cobb in the back of the end zone.

2. NFC Divisional Round (2010)

Possibly the best game I have ever seen a quarterback play, Rodgers helped the Packers advance to the NFC Championship game with a dismantling of the Falcons in Atlanta.

He finished the game 31-36 with 366 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The second-year starter put up a 136.8 passer rating, the highest of his playoff career.

Rodgers also added a rushing touchdown and thoroughly dominated the Falcons in their own building, but not until after John Abraham mocked his trademark belt celebration.

This win didn’t carry over into an offensive explosion against the Bears in the NFC Championship but eventually translated into a win in Super Bowl 45.

1. Super Bowl XLV

“The Lombardi Trophy is coming home.”

This iconic line from Joe Buck came after the signature moment of Aaron’s career in Green Bay. Super Bowl 45 came in his second season as the starter for the Packers; an iconic performance brought a championship back to Titletown.

Rodgers finished the game 24-39 for 304 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. It was truly a masterclass of quarterback play, highlighted by this touchdown to Greg Jennings.

This performance cemented Rodgers as a Packer legend in just his second season, but the career that followed was stellar and heartbreaking at times. The lasting image of his career may be standing on the podium with Clay Matthews and Mike McCarthy, holding the Lombardi Trophy and the championship belt.