Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK

NFL defensive coach on Aaron Rodgers: 'He wants you to know that he got you and look at the sideline with that smirk'

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 8/4/22

Outside of the NFC Championship game, in which he has an abysmal 1-4 record, few quarterbacks in NFL history have possessed the killer instinct and play-making ability of Aaron Rodgers.

The Green Bay Packers quarterback is one of the best NFL players of all time. He can make every play, every throw, and every read. He's created many magic moments seemingly out of thin air thanks to his cerebral talent and otherworldly talent.

He's good, and he knows it. The other team knows that he knows it too because according to one NFL defensive play-caller, Rodgers isn't afraid to rub it in when he makes an incredible play.

The Athletic recently ranked each NFL starting quarterback into tiers, and to no one's surprise, Rodgers, who has won two-straight NFL MVPs and has four overall, was No. 1A on the list — even above Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady. Multiple coaches and NFL executives helped make these rankings for The Athletic via their votes and evaluation.

"The smirk, the shoulder shrug, the command of hurry-up tempo in 2-minute, he’s got it all,” one coach said. “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."

Another coach, on the defensive side of the ball, relayed that Rodgers isn't above playing mind games with the other sideline.

“It’s not enough to make a good read and see a coverage rotation and throw where he needs to throw,” the 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.”

Though Rodgers is clearly playing on another level, even at his advanced age (38), it is worth noting that he hasn't won a Super Bowl since leading the Packers over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. That was over ten years ago.

Getting back over that hurdle will be integral for Rodgers as he looks to cement his legacy as one of the greatest of all time.

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