Legacy. We hear this word get tossed around a lot, especially in the world of sports. But what does it mean? If you really think about the term, it is very subjective and relative. The only way to figure this out is to use a point of reference. Before we get into that, let’s address the elephant in the room. Does Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers need another Super Bowl to solidify his legacy?

Well, that depends. This is not a clear cut black or white answer. So let’s dive into this a little bit.

Rodgers Accolades:

Rodgers has thrown for 36,827 passing yards and 297 touchdowns (11th on all-time passing touchdown list) in his career. Even though he has been in the league for 12 years, he has only been a full-time starter for nine. If you break down his career numbers, he roughly averages over 4,000 yards passing and 33 touchdowns per season. Those are eye-popping numbers! On top of this, he has won two NFL MVP awards, a Super Bowl MVP, and he led the league in passing touchdowns (40) in 2016.

Now, let us do a little math here. Rodgers has three years remaining on his five-year, $110 million contract. Assuming everything goes right and he averages those numbers listed above, he will have nearly 50,000 career passing yards and almost 400 passing touchdowns. That would put him above Warren Moon on the All-time passing yards list and above Fran Tarkenton on the All-time passing touchdowns list for 6th all-time.

But, that is if Rodgers follows that incredible trajectory.

Moving on…

Comparison:

Let’s see how Rodgers stack up with arguably the two best quarterbacks to ever play the game: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. To make this comparison fair I took Rodgers, Brady, and Manning’s first nine full seasons at work as a starting quarterback.

First nine full seasons as a starter:

Tom Brady: 30,838 yards passing and 225 touchdowns

Peyton Manning: 37,586 yards passing and 275 touchdowns

So, if you look at the numbers above, Rodgers stacks up very well against both Brady and Manning. In fact, at this point, Rodgers has far more touchdowns than both Brady or Manning in the same span.

Now, it very difficult to forecast how Rodgers would have fared if he started as a rookie, but this gives you an illustration of what kind of player he is.

Overview:

Rodgers is every bit as good as Brady or Manning and should be in the conversation of one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. However, I think missing the first three seasons really hurt him statistically and will ultimately keep him out of Mount Rushmore discussion. At this point, I don’t think winning another Super Bowl ring will really add anymore value or devalue him from cementing his legacy. The only way he is able to dethrone anyone of these guys is if he wins four more Super Bowl Championships, which I highly doubt.