How many more Super Bowls could Aaron Rodgers have if the Green Bay Packers had landed WR Calvin Johnson in 2012?
Retired NFL wide receiver Calvin Johnson will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Sunday, August 8th. He'll be joined by quarterback Peyton Manning and defensive back Charles Woodson, among others.
Ahead of the Hall of Fame ceremonies and festivities, Calvin Johnson was on "The Pat McAfee Show." He talked about the "Detroit Lions curse" that started when he was forced to pay back money when he retired. The relationship between the team and the player is strained to this day.
Another subject that kept getting brought up on the show was the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers. There were never any formal trade negotiations with Green Bay to acquire Megatron, but Aaron Rodgers was supposedly vocal about him joining the Packers, even while on the field. Johnson said:
"If [Aaron] ever ran the ball over to the sidelines, I always stood on the sidelines, if he saw me he'd just be over there like 'c'mon over here, c'mon over to the other sideline.' I wish I could but the way this thing works, this ain't basketball."
Hypothetically, if Calvin Johnson was able to play elsewhere, Green Bay would have been at the top of his list due to Aaron Rodgers. It could have been possible in 2012 when Calvin Johnson decided to sign with the Lions as the then-highest-paid wide receiver instead of hitting free agency.
The Packers were coming off a loss in the Divisional Round in 2011 after winning the Super Bowl the previous year. They lost to the eventual champions New York Giants.
From a cap space standpoint, Green Bay could have given Calvin Johnson a similar deal. The amount of money would have been smaller, but there is also a chance that the wide receiver would have agreed to it . Originally in 2012, the Packers went 11-5 and lost in the Divisional Round again.
The Packers could have won 2 additional Super Bowls if they had signed Calvin Johnson
In 2012, with a group consisting of Randall Cobb, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Calvin Johnson all in their prime, Green Bay could have had the best offense in the league. Calvin Johnson would have been to Aaron Rodgers what Randy Moss was for Tom Brady. However, the Packers still wouldn't have made it to the Super Bowl with the OB-option taking the NFL by storm.
2013 could have been when the Packers changed their fate and overtook the San Francisco 49ers and then the Carolina Panthers. There would have been an absolute classic between Calvin Johnson and the Legion of Boom with the Seattle Seahawks. After getting past the Seahawks, it would have been easy to overcome Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos.
Green Bay could have made it back to the Super Bowl in 2014 after holding on to beat the Seahawks (originally lost to them). Against Tom Brady's New England Patriots, the Packers would have changed the course of history with the Deflategate scandal with a Super Bowl win.
In 2015, the Carolina Panthers were on a rampage with Cam Newton and would've knocked out the Packers in the NFC Championship. In 2016, they still would have lost a shootout with the Atlanta Falcons, but it would have been a hell of a game.
In 2017, Aaron Rodgers was out for most of the season and the team finished 7-9. With Calvin Johnson on the roster, they might have been able to win an extra game or two to sneak into the playoffs. It still would've been an early exit for the Packers.
Come 2018, Calvin Johnson could have ended up retiring. He stated he retired in 2015 partly to his body feeling aching and not having full range in his body. With Green Bay, he wouldn't have had as many targets and his body could have survived a few extra years. Calvin Johnson likely would have pushed through the pain if he remained in contention for the Super Bowl, but at 33, would have said enough is enough.
If they had signed Calvin Johnson back in 2012, Aaron Rodgers could have ended up with two additional Super Bowl wins in three appearances from 2012 to 2018. The downside with Calvin Johnson joining the Packers was that he didn't break the NFL record for receiving yards in a season in 2012. He would have got two Super Bowl rings out of it and would still likely get into the Hall of Fame as a first-ballot in 2023. Aaron Rodgers could have ended up retiring in either 2020 or 2021 during the Jordan Love drama with three total Super Bowl wins.
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