The Packers’ hot streak came to an end in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon and that means quarterback Aaron Rodgers is already thinking about the future.
Rodgers was asked if he felt like he was running short on chances to win another Super Bowl, which the quarterback said wasn’t the case while adding that they have to “make sure we’re going all-in every year to win” a title. Rodgers said he thinks the team “can take a big step this offseason,” but that the changes didn’t need to be major ones in order for that to happen.
“We need to reload,” Rodgers said. “I don’t think we need to rebuild. We need to reload. We’ve got a lot of players who are young who are big contributors for us. We just need to reload a little bit this offseason. I think we had a lot of great contributions this season from guys we didn’t really expect. Geronimo Allison had a very big year for us. Aaron Ripkowski was fantastic. Jared Cook, I think, needs to be near the top of the priority list, the way he played this year. And the offensive line, keeping those guys together was a big part of our success.”
Cook was signed last offseason and provided a good target for Rodgers when healthy. The quarterback’s plug probably won’t hurt the tight end’s chances of sticking around for a second year in Green Bay.
Guard T.J. Lang and center J.C. Tretter are also free agents, which may account for Rodgers’ interest in keeping the offensive line together. There might be more desire for new faces at running back and in the secondary, although Cook represented the rare foray into veteran free agency for General Manager Ted Thompson so we’ll have to see if they’ll go that route as part of the reloading plan.