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For the past year, Aaron Rodgers has been one of the biggest talking points in all of sports. Whether it’s his stance on vaccinations or trying to force a trade from the Green Bay Packers, he’s been making a lot of headlines. Once again he finds himself at the center of controversy but this latest one isn’t necessarily his doing.
Veteran NFL reporter Hub Arkush is one of only 50 people who get to vote on the league’s MVP this year. During a segment on 670 The Score in Chicago, Arkush referred to Rodgers as the “biggest jerk in the league” and a “bad guy,” via Pro Football Talk. He also said that he wouldn’t be voting for him as the MVP regardless of what he’s done on the field this season.
Arkush probably didn’t realize how controversial his comments were and now he’s in serious hot water. Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward previously played with Rodgers in Green Bay from 2012 to 2015. He had a major issue with Arkush and the NFL’s awards voting systems.
Arkush may have opened up Pandora’s box. The Associated Press chooses the awards the NFL treats as its official awards. Seeing how that system could be corrupted so easily may lead to the league exploring different ways to pick awards.
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Rodgers Will Likely Win MVP Regardless
While there’s no way that Arkush is the first AP voter to disqualify a player from an award based on off-the-field antics, it may not matter in the end. Rodgers will almost certainly win MVP regardless of what happens in Week 18. The Packers are 13-2 in games that he’s played in and he’s thrown 35 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
His numbers aren’t quite as impressive as his 2020 MVP campaign but he’s still the best quarterback in the NFL. In the one game Rodgers didn’t play this season, the Packers only scored seven points in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Green Bay has an excellent roster but they wouldn’t be anywhere close to Super Bowl contenders without Rodgers.
Are Raiders Still an Option for Rodgers?
Despite Rodgers likely having a second straight MVP season, it’s possible that he’ll still want to be traded after the year. Pro Football Talk reported in the offseason that the Raiders were among the teams on his “wish list.” However, that’s when Jon Gruden was still the coach of the team. Now that he’s gone, it’s possible that Rodgers has less interest in Las Vegas.
Perhaps hiring a big-name coach like Jim Harbaugh or Doug Pederson would make the Raiders a possible destination but there’s a real chance interim head coach Rich Bisaccia keeps the job. In that scenario, Derek Carr likely keeps the starting quarterback job. In fact, he’s got a strong chance of keeping it even if Rodgers likes the Raiders as a trade destination. Carr has done a great job leading the team this season even though his numbers aren’t amazing. He deserves another chance to lead the team.
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