Tom Brady has recently praised Aaron Rodgers as the best passer in NFL history. However, film breakdowns tell a much different story.

On the July 2 episode of his Check The Mic podcast, co-host Steve Palazzolo and NFL analyst Nate Tice thoroughly analyzed Rodgers' late career and made some harsh verdicts.

"I don't think Rodgers has played winning football at the same level as like Peyton [Manning], [Tom] Brady, [Patrick] Mahomes, and some of the other elite quarterbacks," Palazzolo said. "I think he's just a tick below that even though you might be able to make a better statistical case for him."

Palazzolo based his point on Tice’s video analysis. During two-minute drills and in other late-game situations, Rodgers stayed safe, rather than throw deep during two-minute drills and other late-game situations.

"It was almost like he's like, 'No, I'm not throwing a pick.' But it's like, the game's over if an incompletion is the same as a pick on fourth down," Tice said on the same podcast.

It's that tendency that has distinguished him from Brady, Manning, and Mahomes, whose aggression when pursuing the game was always evident. Unlike them, he wouldn’t play aggressively and instead would likely play conservatively.

PFF noted that Rodgers became noticeably more conservative last season. His average depth of target was just 6.6 yards, a career low and the fourth-lowest figure in the NFL.

Advanced metrics showed Rodgers held the ball for 2.5 seconds or longer on 51% of his dropbacks in 2019. He often chose to wait instead of throwing into tight coverage.

Brady, on the other hand, once said one of his passes against the Los Angeles Rams may have been the best of his career. Down by multiple scores late in the fourth quarter, he attacked Jalen Ramsey with a deep throw that landed perfectly in Mike Evans' hands for a touchdown.

Besides the verdict, Rodgers is still at the top of Brady's list.

Tom Brady's praise for Aaron Rodgers

Brady appeared on the June 23 episode of the Stick To Football podcast. Having faced Rodgers six times, including the NFC Championship Game following the 2020 season, the 7x Super Bowl champion had put the Steelers quarterback on a pedestal.

"There's no greater passer of the football than Aaron Rodgers," Brady said. "You see everyone do it, and then you see one person throw the ball that much better."

Fans came incredibly close to seeing Brady face Rodgers in Super Bowl XLIX. The Green Bay Packers held a 19-7 lead over the Seattle Seahawks with just over two minutes remaining, but a late collapse by their defense and special teams allowed Seattle to complete a stunning comeback.

But that era of Rodgers has long since passed. He got a 68.0 PFF overall grade from last season, which was his career worst. Rodgers struggled when pressured, racking a 38.1 PFF passing grade, which was ranked sixth-worst among eligible quarterbacks.

Rodgers is now ranked behind Kyler Murray, while the signal-callers below him are mostly inexperienced or have changed teams.

Will Rodgers be able to win back the trust during his last campaign? Share your thoughts.

Read more at Quarter Back Central.

Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar