Aaron Rodgers is considered by many to be the best quarterback in the NFL and as long as he is a member of the Green Bay Packers they have a chance to win the Super Bowl each year. The Packers know they have to do everything in their power to protect their superstar quarterback so it is reportedly very possible that Rodgers may be done playing in the preseason, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
Rodgers has been vocal about not liking preseason games, so he likely won't be too upset about missing the final two warm-up contests, but the reason for keeping him out is two-fold. The Packers just lost their top receiver, Jordy Nelson, to a season ending ACL injury, which will make Rodgers even more important than he already was. Also, the Packers will be without three of their starting offensive linemen in Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles, so the risk may not be worth it for Rodgers.
A lot of quarterbacks like to at least get some playing time in these preseason games, especially the third game, which is considered a dress rehearsal for the season, to stay sharp and ready, but Rodgers thinks he will be just fine if he were to sit out the remainder of the preseason.
"I'm happy where we're at. We have some guys banged up right now, so not sure what the playing time will be, but whatever Mike decides I'm confident we'll be ready when the season starts," said Rodgers.
If Rodgers were to sit out on Saturday, the quarterbacks for the game would be rookie Brett Hundley and Matt Blanchard, as backup Scott Tolzien is dealing with a concussion.
Rodgers is coming off a season in which he won his second league MVP award and his importance to the Packers is unparalleled. Rodgers completed 66 percent of his passes while throwing for more than 4300 yards with a ridiculous touchdown to interception ratio of 38:5. Rodgers has dealt with injuries in the past, whether it was the broken collarbone two seasons ago or the hamstring last season, so the Packers are wise to be cautious with Rodgers heading into this year. Even though he is missing game reps, something tells me that Rodgers will be good to go once the regular season kicks off should he be benched for the next two preseason games.
