As 25 NFL seasons have been played since the turn of the century, ESPN recently took the time to put together an All Quarter Century Team, which featured a full 53-man roster consisting of 25 offensive players, 23 defensive players, and five special teams players.
And just to be as thorough as possible, the duo tasked with compiling such a squad, Aaron Schatz and Max Walder, also added a complete 17-player practice squad and a four-man coaching staff.
Sadly for fans of the Green Bay Packers, only one player who called northeastern Wisconsin home between 2000 and 2024 made the main roster, that being recently enshrined Hall of Fame defensive end Julius Peppers.
There were three others, however, who were given spots on the practice squad, those being right guard Jahri Evans, who spent just one season in Green Bay, Hall of Fame defensive back Charles Woodson, who, in this writer's humble opinion, was one of the biggest snubs regarding the main roster, and, of course, future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
Now, there are some who believe Rodgers was also snubbed and should have been included among the three quarterbacks who made the main roster. But it's genuinely difficult to argue against the trio that was selected, a group consisting of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes.
As Schatz and Walder listed every player at every position in the order of where they believed each would land on a depth chart, Rodgers was the first QB cut from the main roster, the second practice-squad slot going to Drew Brees.
Now, we could sit here all day and compare stats and accolades and such. And perhaps there could be a few arguments made to include Rodgers among the top three, seeing as how he's won four NFL MVPs, the second-most in history behind only Manning, and owns both the best passer rating (102.6) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.34) in league history.
That said, however, it should be fairly obvious what separates Rodgers (and Brees, for that matter) from the top three: multiple Super Bowl victories.
Even one more Super Bowl victory could've gotten Aaron Rodgers on the main roster of ESPN's All Quarter Century Team
Brady, of course, won a record seven Lombardis, six with the New England Patriots and another with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Manning won one each with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, and Mahomes has already won three with the Kansas City Chiefs.
If Rodgers were going to replace any of the three, one would think the only option would be Mahomes, as it's hard to place him above Brady or Manning. But here's what Walder wrote when explaining why Mahomes was chosen as QB3.
"There are arguments for Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees here, but we believe Mahomes deserves a spot on this team despite his relative "lack" of MVPs or first-team All-Pro selections (two) through eight seasons."
"His QBR for his career (postseason included) is 75.0, which trails Manning (75.6) but is ahead of Brady (71.0), Brees (70.9), and Rodgers (66.9). And from the unbelievable throws to the mistake avoidance to the postseason heroics, we're choosing peak Mahomes over peak Rodgers or Brees."
"Postseason heroics" pretty much says it all, don't you think?
Yes, Rodgers led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory in just his third season as a starter. And over the course of the next decade, he led Green Bay to four additional appearances in the NFC Championship Game.
But as every Cheesehead knows, he lost every single one of them, thus becoming the first QB in history to lose four consecutive NFC title games.
Had Rodgers won at least one of them and then gone on to win a second Super Bowl, he'd undoubtedly have a stronger case for inclusion on the main roster of this All Quarter Century Team. But he didn't.
And while some might not agree with his placement, finishing fourth on a list of living legends who own a combined 12 Super Bowl victories, nine Super Bowl MVPs, and 10 regular-season MVPs is nothing to be ashamed of.