Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers spent 3 years backing up another one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, Brett Favre, to open his career, but in the 11 years since, he has proven that he is also one of the greatest ever to play the position.
His first season as a starter was his worst full season until last year, as he finished with "only" 4038 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. In his full seasons since, he has had fewer yards only twice, fewer touchdowns once, and has never had more interceptions. It was also the last time the Packers would miss the playoffs for nearly a decade.
In 2009, he was already the best QB in the entire league, throwing for 4434 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only 7 picks, and the Packers finished at 11-5. They lost in the wild card game to the Arizona Cardinals, but it wasn't because of Rodgers. He finished his first playoff start with 423 yards and 4 touchdowns, but was outplayed by Kurt Warner in a 51-45 shootout loss.
He completed his ascension to the peak in his third season, when he had a pretty good regular season, but destroyed the competition in the playoffs. In the first two games combined, he threw over 540 yards and 6 touchdowns without an interception. After a rough game against Chicago that they still won 21-14, he made it to the Super Bowl and had a great game, with 304 yards, 3 touchdowns, and no interceptions for the third time in the postseason. That performance made him the Super Bowl MVP.
Right after the best postseason of his career, he came back with the best regular season of his career, and one of the greatest of all time. He threw career highs of 4643 yards and 45 touchdowns, and had only 6 interceptions all season. The team finished the season 15-1, and Rodgers was named the league's MVP, as if there could be any question after a season of that magnitude.
He was great again in 2012, with 4295 yards and 39 touchdowns, a little lower than the season before, but the season ended early again with a loss in the divisional round of the playoffs. He was on pace for another great season in 2013, but broke his collarbone and missed the final 7 games.
He came back at full strength in 2013, with 4381 yards and 38 touchdowns with a new career-low of 5 picks, and Green Bay finished at 12-4, tied for the best in the NFC. He was awarded his second NFL MVP award after the season, and he led the Pack to the NFC title game, where they lost a close one to Seattle, 28-22.
In 2016 he had another great season, leading the league in touchdowns with 40, and became one of only 4 passers ever to record 40 more than once, joining Brees, Manning, and Marino. He also led the Packers back to the NFC title game for the third time in his career, with numbers in 3 games that nearly mirrored his numbers in 4 games from the Super Bowl season, but they fell short of the ultimate prize again.
His 2017 season ended early after another broken collarbone, and the Packers missed the playoffs for the first time since his first season as a starter. The team struggled again in 2018, but Rodgers was his usual efficient self, throwing 25 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions all season.
Rodgers has been one of the top quarterbacks in the league for most of his career. He has never had fewer than 3800 yards or 25 touchdowns, and never more than 13 interceptions in a full season. His career TD:INT ratio is more than 4:1, which is by far the best in history. Add in 2 MVP's and a Super Bowl MVP, and you have one of the greatest in history, and he should still have several good years ahead of him.
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