In Bizarre Blast from the Past, A Former Vikings GM Criticizes a Former Packers QB for…Personnel Decisions
K. Joudry
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In an NFC North of yesteryear, Rick Spielman was making the personnel decisions for the Vikings while Aaron Rodgers was tossing the pigskin for the Packers.
A lot can change in a couple seasons, though.
Mr. Spielman, the former Vikings GM, is now offering his wisdom to The 33rd Team, a website that houses the opinion/analysis from plenty of NFL players, coaches, and executives (former and current). One recent video even involved Spielman offering his two cents on the work that Rodgers did revamping the personnel with the Jets.
A Former Vikings GM, A Former Packers QB, & A Bizarre Blast from the Past
Part of the issue for the Jets is money, or lack thereof. Or, at least, that’s the word from Spielman.
His analysis begins with detailing New York’s limited funds and then all of the work that needs to be done. Spielman puts them in at “roughly about $5.7 million.” Per Over the Cap, New York has even less than that, sitting at a touch above $1.667 million. Spielman reminds listeners that there’s work to be done all over the roster while highlighting the QB2 spot alongside the offensive line.
After identifying Mekhi Becton as a bust, Spielman moves his focus over to the Jets’ QB: “If you look at Aaron Rodgers the GM, he was very poor if you wanted to grade last year what he did for the New York Jets.” The executive — the actual one, not Rodgers — then lists Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard as whiffs.
Even signing Nathaniel Hackett to the coaching staff gets a mention. Per Spielman, Rodgers shoulders some of the blame for Hackett getting hired on as New York’s OC.
No doubt, Rodgers is an opinionated guy. And, to be sure, New York almost certainly made decisions with an eye toward pleasing their veteran quarterback. Rodgers was lost for the season due to a torn Achilles after just 4 snaps, so the Jets have some excuse for putting together an underwhelming effort in 2023.
Even still, is there some regret about the decisions that were made — Cobb, Lazard, Hackett?
Someday, Rodgers is going to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He is a Super Bowl champion and he won the Super Bowl MVP. He has four regular season MVP awards and has been a first-team All Pro four times. When he’s dialed-in, Rodgers is as dynamic of a passer as there’s ever been in the NFL. His arm talent is second to none.
The word from Rick Spielman, though, leaves one with the impression that Green Bay’s former QB would be best served sticking to throwing passes and not signing free agents.
Free agency kicks off in less than a month. More than a few articles have connected the Vikings to Jets pass rusher Bryce Huff.
The Jets will travel to U.S. Bank Stadium during the 2024 regular season to take on the Vikings.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
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K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.
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