Maybe Aaron Rodgers is just washed. Two collarbone injuries

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, a serious, nagging knee injury — they all caught up with Rodgers because not even one of the all-time greats can defeat Father Time. That’s one of the few times wins are a quarterback stat. Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst certainly didn’t think that was the case a few months when they signed Rodgers to the richest contract the league has ever seen. Rodgers drew oo’s and aah’s from fans and media who saw him in training camp (remember when there was a worry about his interceptions?), writing about how focused he was, how determined he looked to right the wrongs of the 2017 season. Without knowing how much the knee has bothered him or how much faith he truly has in his receivers and the gameplan, it’s impossible to pin down exactly what went wrong for Rodgers this season. No doubt the knee played a role. Injuries at receiver, where rookies were forced into the starting lineup hurt the continuity and consistency of the passing game. Injuries and inconsistency at offensive line exacerbated the loss of Rodgers’ usual mobility. All of this comes before the issues with play design and playcalling, an essential reason Mike McCarthy no longer works at 1265 Lombardi Ave. There are reasons to believe 2018 will end up an aberration for Rodgers. For starters, he’s unlikely to sustain a historically low interception rate, but he’s also unlikely to play with such an inexperienced group of receivers again. The head coaching search will undoubtedly feature a revamping of outdated offenses concepts and philosophy. And Green Bay simply won’t keep losing one-score games (six of their eight losses this season) at this rate. Those numbers tend to ebb and flow over time. But wait, there’s more. A look at historical quarterback data reveals a bizarre pattern: year 14 has been the bug-a-boo for all-time great quarterbacks of recent vintage. Let’s examine that.Tom Brady 2013 (Age 36): 60.5% 25 TDs 11 INTs 6.9 YPA 87.3 Rating Do those look like Tom Brady numbers to you? Since then, he has won an MVP , helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls, and returned to being one of the best quarterbacks in the game. But ‘13 was Brady’s worst completion percentage since 2004, his fewest TDs since 2006, tied for lowest YPA since 2006, and his worst rating since his 2008 season, when he tore his ACL in week one. Those look like Derek Carr numbers, not one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL and one of the greatest ever. Much like with Rodgers, the factors that season were myriad, but the Patriots still managed to go 12-4 and make a run because they’re the Patriots and have Bill Belichick. Drew Brees 2014 (Age 35): 69.2% 4952 33 TDs 17 INT This doesn’t look quite as wonky for Brees, but consider that this number was Brees’ most INTs since 2012 when he led the league in picks. It was his worst INT % and lowest rating since that same season and worst YPA since 2010. Since then, he’s been Drew Brees again. Year 14 also started a streak of losing seasons for the Saints , where they won just seven games three seasons in a row. Along with 2012, it was four in five years. A killer draft in 2017 buoyed them back to an 11-win season and right now, they might just be the Super Bowl favorite. This didn’t require a coaching change or a mechanical cure-all. The Saints needed a little more talent and some more luck. Peyton Manning 2011 (Age 35): Missed entire season with neck injury This seals the oddity of the Year 14 season jinx. Manning missed the entire season, then left Indianapolis and helped lead the Broncos to a pair of Super Bowl trips along with a record-shattering MVP season.There are no other quarterbacks of Rodgers’ quality worth mentioning with this group over the last decade. Yet all of them had down years in Year 14, and all of them came back to be if not better than ever, something close to it. Manning and Brady each won Super Bowls and made more than one appearance in that big game.Brees could make it three-for-three this year. It’s possible this is the beginning of the end. If it is, the final stretch of the 2016 season will be the aberration and the decline will have begun in 2015. We won’t know until Rodgers comes back next season with a new coach and a healthy team. For the Packers, that would preferably happen with a new starting right guard and a better plan behind Bryan Bulaga. But every quarterback of recent vintage whom most would consider in the same sphere as Aaron Rodgers has bounced back from a mini-swoon late in their careers. Green Bay needs to do everything in its power this offseason to ensure Rodgers makes it four-for-four. Can the Packers afford to keep three QBs again this year? APC’s writers say no." />Skip to main contentclockmenumore-arrownoyesAcme Packing Company homepageHorizontal - WhiteAcme Packing Companya Green Bay Packers communityFollow Acme Packing Company online:Follow Acme Packing Company on TwitterFollow Acme Packing Company on FacebookFollow Acme Packing Company on InstagramLog in or sign upLog InSign UpSite searchSearchSearchAcme Packing Company main menuFanpostsFanshotsSectionsPackersOddsAboutMastheadCommunity GuidelinesStubHubMoreAll 321 blogs on Horizontal - WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football AdviceCDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Packers 2019 Roster Predictions: Kizer will be Rodgers’ only backup QBTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesIn 2019, the Green Bay Packers’ roster looks very different from how it appeared at the end of the 2018 season. A large group of free agents, draft picks, and undrafted rookies will come to training camp to challenge for roster spots and a role on the team’s regular season 53-man roster. Over the next two weeks , Acme Packing Company will break down the roster position-by-position and reveal our compiled predictions for the 53-man roster.One year ago, the Packers seemingly dedicated themselves to not losing a promising young quarterback on waivers after final cuts. Although Mike McCarthy and Brian Gutekunst said that it did not affect their thought process in 2018, the loss of Taysom Hill to the Saints in 2017 seemed to weigh on them as they kept Tim Boyle on the 53 all year long following some impressive moments in training camp.Enter Matt LaFleur and an almost-entirely new coaching staff, which will bring fresh sets of eyes and new perspectives to the Packers’ roster. This year, APC bets that the team keeps just two signal-callers on the 53 to start the year, which was a unanimous prediction by our ten contributing writers who participated in our annual roster predictions.Here’s how we see the quarterback room breaking down once final cuts come out on August 31st.Starter: Aaron RodgersThere’s nothing worth saying here. Moving on.Backup: DeShone KizerFor nine of APC’s ten contributors, Kizer was the pick as the backup quarterback, with Tim Boyle getting a single vote. Kizer’s size and mobility still make him an intriguing player, and his connection with LaFleur could help him earn some extra points. His ceiling is higher than either of the other two quarterbacks, to be sure; that has earned him more opportunities in the past, and we believe he will end up being the best option of the three at the end of August.<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="8DuWHF">Released: Tim Boyle , Manny WilkinsWhile Kizer was the pick for nine out of ten contributors, there was one unanimous decision: the Packers will not and cannot keep more than two quarterbacks on the roster. Thus, Boyle and Wilkins get chopped.Mike McCarthy seemed to love Boyle’s arm, leading to him sticking around last year. With no personal investment in him, we’re betting that Matt LaFleur does not keep him for a second season. Wilkins seems like a perfect practice squad candidate though, as he could use some time to bulk up and learn the NFL game before being groomed as a potential backup in future years.