Despite watching roster changes in free agency, Aaron Rodgers remains convinced: ‘I think the window’s open’ for Packers

GREEN BAY — While Aaron Rodgers’ retelling of his last-minute escape from Peru got a lot of attention across the internet last week — and it was compelling, considering the way the COVID-19 pandemic has obviously dominated the headlines — the Green Bay Packers quarterback’s conversation also delivered a glimpse into how he’s feeling about the offseason and his team’s roster.

Speaking with ex-NFL punter Pat McAfee and former Packers teammate and good friend A.J. Hawk in an interview, Rodgers not only detailed his exodus from Peru — which he likened to the climax of the Ben Affleck film “Argo” — but expressed confidence in general manager Brian Gutekunst and the team’s scouting staff to replenish a roster that was good enough to get the team to the NFC Championship Game last season under first-year head coach Matt LaFleur.

“It’s all about windows of opportunity where you have a team that can win a championship,” Rodgers said. “When you’re a veteran player, you know whether you’re on one of those teams or not.”

And Rodgers believes that he’s on one of those teams, even after seeing veterans like right tackle Bryan Bulaga, inside linebacker Blake Martinez, wide receiver Geronimo Allison and tight end Jimmy Graham depart so far this offseason while the team has added ex-Cleveland Browns inside linebacker Christian Kirksey, ex-Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions right tackle Ricky Wagner (a former University of Wisconsin standout), and ex-Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Devin Funchess after after Kirksey and Wagner were cut by their previous teams and Funchess wasn't re-signed. The Packers have also re-signed tight end Marcedes Lewis and kick returner/running back Tyler Ervin.

“Free agency is always interesting,” Rodgers said. “A lot of times, the teams that are doing the most in free agency are doing the most because they need the most and they don’t have a lot of players. And the teams that aren’t doing as much often don’t need as much. I think we’re one of those teams.

“Our GM did a great job last offseason of adding some guys on the defensive side of the ball. We’ve re-signed a couple guys that were really important for us (in Lewis and Ervin). We lost Bryan Bulaga, which definitely hurt just because of his stability, but we brought in a guy from Detroit to fill that spot who they feel really confident about.

“I think the window’s open. That’s the exciting part. I’m not going into the last five, six years of my career going, ‘Man, it’s going to be another one or two years before we’re back in the mix.’ No, we’re in the mix right now. We’ve got a chance to be one of those teams like this year. We were in the final four with a chance to win it all.”

And in Rodgers’ opinion, the window will stay open for awhile — with him at quarterback. Having watched his friend Tom Brady, set to turn 43 before the NFL season begins, move on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 41-year-old Drew Brees re-up with the New Orleans Saints and 38-year-old Philip Rivers move from the Los Angeles Chargers to the Colts, Rodgers reiterated that he plans on playing into his 40s. His current contract will expire after the 2023 season, after he turns 40 in December of that year.

Rodgers finished his first season in LaFleur’s offense having completed 353 of 569 passes (62.0%) for 4,002 yards with 26 touchdowns, four interceptions and 36 sacks for a passer rating of 95.4 — the third-lowest season passer rating of his career. But during the Packers’ five-game winning streak to close the regular season, Rodgers completed 108 of 189 passes (57.1%) for 1,180 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions (85.4 rating).

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For his part, Rodgers believes those numbers were a function of being required to do less of the offensive heavy lifting as well as the challenges of the first year in an offensive system. Both he and LaFleur have said multiple times that they are eager to see what the offense is capable of in its second season.

“How do you not?” Rodgers replied when asked if he thinks about playing into his 40s. “I’m not some cliché guy that’s going to talk about taking it year by year. Of course, you look at what Tom’s doing and still able to play at his age and play at a high level, and obviously what Drew has done and Phil getting an opportunity to keep rolling in Indy.

“My thing is, legacy is really important. Having an opportunity to do it all in Green Bay would mean a lot to me. I understand the track record of our squad. There’s been times where we’ve had veteran players and they’ve finished elsewhere. I get it. I’d like to make that decision easy for them.

“The only way to do that is to keep playing at a high level and give them no choice but to keep bringing you back because you’re the best option and give them the best chance to win. That’s my goal. I’ve got four years left on my deal. I’d like to play four at a really, really high level and if I feel like keep on keeping on from that point, to do it.

“I feel confident right now. I’m going to be 40 when the deal ends. I feel like I can keep going after that the way things have been going.”

As for his shortened trip to Peru, Rodgers detailed how he and his group, which included three others, made it out of the country just before the airport closed.

"Have you seen the movie 'Argo'? The scene at the end where they're racing to the airport?” Rodgers recounted. “Nobody was chasing us, thankfully, or holding us. We didn't have to speak Farsi to get back into the country, but there were some moments where we worried that we were not going to get out. It was absolute pandemonium at the airport.”

Since then, Rodgers has been at his home in southern California with girlfriend Danica Patrick, where they have been following the state’s stay-at-home guidelines. He didn’t think they were exposed to COVID-19 during their time in remote areas near Cusco, Peru, where there had not been any reported cases of the coronavirus, and he said neither he nor any of the members in of the group have shown symptoms of the virus.

Rodgers said he and his party did have a private plane, which helped them depart more quickly than they might have had they been flying on a commercial airline. They did cut their trip short because they were concerned about getting out.

"When we rolled up to the airport at, like, 7 in the morning, it was wall-to-wall people, and you couldn't move. I was thinking, 'This isn't very safe.' Not many masks on, and there was definitely a panic in the air,” Rodgers said. “But somehow we made it down, and then they shut the airport down because it was really bad weather. They had a drop-dead time where they were going to shut the entire airport down. We made it by about 15 minutes."