Stephen A. Smith is more focused on the ability of Rodgers to win another championship than the new deal he has with the Packers. There is a time and a place for it. The Last Dance was for the Green Bay Packers. They have to figure out how to keep dancing longer in the playoffs than they did in what seemed like a Super-Bowl-or-bust year. The decision to return for another season is only the beginning, as he told Pat McAfee on Tuesday morning. It is the most important piece, but it is not the only one. The real work begins now. The top 50 free agents.
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It is on general manager Brian Gutekunst and salary-cap manager Russ Ball to figure out how the Packers can not only make another run with as many of the players from last season as possible, but also make some important additions to push them over the top.
Rodgers accepted his award and said there was a lot to build on. There are some things that need to be done to get the team where it needs to go.
There is no reason to think that Rodgers play will decline; he was as sharp in the regular season as ever and won his fourth Most Valuable Player award. He turned 38 in the middle of a season in which he had 37 touchdown and four interceptions. The last two seasons are the best in the history of the league with a minimum of 1,000 attempts. The Packers earned the top seed in the playoffs even though he missed one game because he was unvaccinated after contracting Covid-19.
The playoffs were not the only story. In the 16 playoff games since the Packers won the Super Bowl, Rodgers has not played up to his usual standards. The longest streak of starts without reaching the Super Bowl by a quarterback is 16.
The Packers special teams were a disaster in the 13-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Coach Matt LaFleur replaced his third special teams coach in four years with a former Raiders interim head coach.
Rodgers said he didn't want to be part of a rebuilding process, and the Packers were still over the salary cap. Ball has been busy restructuring deals to create cap space and will have more moves to make.
Return should help with that. He will sign a contract extension if he hasn't already done so. Even if Rodgers only plays one more season, there are many ways to take care of that.
The Packers need to keep Adams and make him happy. The franchise tag won't do that. No player wants to play without a long-term deal, even though Adams would be paid $20.12 million.
Gutekunst must have assured Rodgers that he will be able to do more than just keep Adams. The Packers have a number of key free agents, including a restricted free agent.
Rodgers must have been happy that the Packers brought back one of his favorite coaches, Tom Clements, out of retirement to be their quarterbacks coach. LaFleur said that Rodgers had a significant role in the hire.
Even if his recent playoff history doesn't match his regular-season performance, the Packers believe Rodgers gives them their best chance to win the Super Bowl. The Packers would almost certainly have a season of growing pains and a likely rebuild without many of the free agents who were traded.
It can wait at least another year.
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