Ranking NFC North starting quarterbacks entering 2019

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

This past season, the Green Bay Packers had a bit of a down year finishing with a 6-9-1 record, which was disappointing in many ways. Green Bay suffered bad losses to the downtrodden Cardinals and a shutout loss to the last-place team in the NFC North, the Detroit Lions. If that and a win-total of six wasn’t enough, there was also the riff between Aaron Rodgers and then-head coach Mike McCarthy.

There have long been rumors regarding a toxic relationship between McCarthy and Rodgers but nothing ever came out in a major way. That changed in April when Tyler Dunne of Bleacher Report wrote an article detailing what happened in Green Bay between McCarthy, Rodgers and former general manager Ted Thompson. The blame seemingly went in many directions.

Dunne wrote about how McCarthy believed in his system too much.

"The problem for McCarthy was that as the talent drained, he failed to innovate. His scheme went stale and he didn’t adapt. As one personnel man puts it, McCarthy “got full off his own juice.” He believed his system—not the Packers’ absurd amount of talent—was the foundation for the offensive success. But raw rookies cannot bust free one-on-one like, say, Jennings or Nelson or Jones."

Additionally, the report noted that Rodgers had no interest in developing rookie wide receivers:

"Rodgers refused to take scheduled throws underneath, instead waiting for a deep shot that rarely materialized. The lack of experience did not help. These rookies simply did not have the thousands of reps Rodgers once had with Nelson and company, so he couldn’t make subtle audibles play after play with them. In one red-zone drill in practice, St. Brown didn’t pick up on a signal, and Rodgers lost it. No, he wasn’t exactly giving these rookies a chance to grow, either. A source close to one of the team’s skill-position starters says Rodgers was the one “sinking the ship” with zero interest in developing Valdes-Scantling, St. Brown or Moore."

Whether you blame Rodgers’ unwillingness to develop receivers and holding on to the ball too long or blame McCarthy for not changing his system, there should have been more Super Bowls in Green Bay.

One thing that Packers fans have to look forward to is new head coach Matt LaFleur. LaFleur has not stepped onto the field yet to coach a single Packers game, but a new face and voice is key in its own right. More importantly, though, Rodgers is healthy again.

If Rodgers can remain healthy — which is a big if — he has shown he is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Rodgers showed his greatness and tenacity in Week 1 last year against the Chicago Bears after getting hurt but returned later to led the Pack to a win.

Rodgers makes plays very few people in the league can, from hitting players in stride on their back shoulder to rolling out of the pocket and throwing a 50-yard dime on the run. Rodgers can do it all and, if he can stay healthy, he should be able to prove it.