A lot of people are talking about Aaron Rodgers’ injury and his future.
But consider Raiders safety Charles Woodson an expert on the topic, or at least one with the context necessary to know what he’s tallking about.
Woodson, who missed nine games last year with a second broken collarbone, only to return for the playoffs, said he thought the Packers should shut down the quarterback if they’re out of contention.
“[If] you don’t have the confidence or the doctors’ don’t have that confidence in that shoulder that you can go out there and the same thing is not going to happen again, I think you shut him down,” Woodson said in an NFL Network interview, via Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com. “I went through the same thing last year and I wanted to come back Week 12, 13, 14. But the scans never gave us that confidence, so I didn’t come back until the playoffs. So if they don’t have the confidence in those scans, you shut him down.”
Woodson knows Rodgers as a former teammate, and knows how difficult that would be to sell to him as well. But he thinks the right thing to do for the future would be to shelve him if they lose to the Falcons to kill any hope of the postseason.
“With having a guy that you’re going to pay over $100 million, [if] you’re out of the playoffs, I would shut him down,” Woodson said. “I know Aaron and if he’s healthy, it depends on what his scans are telling him, (but) I know he’s kicking and scratching trying to get back in the game. But having your franchise guy go out there and there is no chance at making the playoffs and you’re not really sure what’s going on with that shoulder [is a mistake].”
Rodgers has insisted that he wants to get back on the field as soon as he can, regardless the scenario.