Written by Rob Demovsky at ESPN.com
Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to the Super Bowl at age 39. Mike McCarthy believes Aaron Rodgers, 33, could do the same thing for the Green Bay Packers.
“I wouldn’t be surprised by it, with some good fortune,” McCarthy, the Packers’ coach, said during an interview at the NFL scouting combine. “As far as the conditioning and the level of conditioning from the guy, it’s off the charts.”
Brady played at an MVP-contending level — and more importantly at a championship level — last season, and McCarthy sees little that could prevent Rodgers from doing the same thing at that age.
“A lot goes into that; only the good Lord knows the answer to that,” McCarthy told. “But genetically, he definitely has those gifts.”
It has been six years since the Packers’ most recent Super Bowl appearance, when Rodgers was the MVP in the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. But they’ve been back in the NFC Championship Game twice since — the 2014 overtime loss at Seattle and the blowout loss at Atlanta this past season.
That loss further raised the ire of those who think the Packers have wasted Rodgers’ prime by not getting to a second Super Bowl. But given McCarthy’s belief that Rodgers could do what Brady has done at his age, it would indicate that the coach thinks his quarterback is nowhere close to the beginning of a decline.
“Players reach their prime at certain stages, and I think there’s no question Aaron’s in his prime right now,” McCarthy said. “You definitely want to maximize that, but he is one of 53 and plays the most important position and makes a huge impact. I get all that.”
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