Why Does Aaron Rodgers Have a Big Helmet?
Aaron Rodgers has put forth an illustrious career that will one day land him in a first-ballot Hall of Fame induction. Despite the continued excellence, the Green Bay Packers‘ star quarterback has gone through much physical wear and tear over the years. Rodgers has had to adjust his gear, leading to a larger helmet used.
Aaron Rodgers’ impressive NFL career
Since taking over as the Packers’ full-time starter in 2008, Aaron Rodgers has solidified his case as one of the game’s greatest talents.
Rodgers has guided the Packers to sustained success along with reaching many impressive individual feats. Beyond leading the Packers to a Super Bowl XLV win and earning MVP honors, he has two regular-season MVP awards, eight Pro Bowl nods, and two First-Team All-Pro selections.
The Cal product also holds numerous NFL records, such as the highest career passer rating in the regular season (102.4) and lowest career pass interception percentage (1.4%). He also holds the best touchdown to interception ratio (4.49), and most seasons with a passer rating over 100 (eight).
Rodgers’ play has also helped lead the Packers to nine playoff appearances, including sixth NFC North division titles and nine double-digit win campaigns. He has also guided the Packers to four NFC championship games. Rodgers has been a staple with the Packers throughout his NFL career, which includes his large helmet.
Why Aaron Rodgers has a large helmet
Aaron Rodger has rolled through much of his career donning a noticeably bigger helmet than the typical size.
The change initially came after a pair of scary concussion in the 2010 season. Rodgers suffered the first one in October 2010 against the Washington Redskins. The second occurred in December 2010 against the Detroit Lions after a long scramble run.
Those two situations pushed Rodgers to change his helmet to a Schutt model that he picked up the updated version of the Schutt AiR XP Pro in 2011. He wore variations of that model over the years. Rodgers voiced in January 2011 that the new helmet helped him avoid getting a third concussion.
Rodgers had to make another helmet change ahead of the 2018 season as his model was phased out in 2019. He is now wearing the VICIS Zero1 model, which provides extra padding and the highest-rated helmet in NFL safety testing for three consecutive years. It’s the same one that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson wears.
Future in Green Bay may become uncertain
Despite questions concerning his long-term future in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers is putting forth another highly productive campaign.
Rodgers is still playing at an elite level with him in the thick of the MVP conversation this year. The 36-year-old remains the franchise’s driving force, with their Super Bowl hopes riding on his shoulders.
However, it’s hard to ignore his contract situation as he’s in the first year of his four-year, $134 million extension. Things can become quite interesting after the 2021 season as the dead-cap hits drop significantly. The Packers are on the hook for $17.2 million in 2022 and roughly $2.8 million for the 2023 campaign.
Rodgers is still playing quite well, but things can certainly change over the next year. Much of which will be dictated by how he performs. If his play heads south, the franchise could move forward with Jordan Love as their future.
Rodgers has voiced a strong desire to finish his career with the Packers but has clear recognition that those hopes may not come to fruition. His focus remains on the 2020 season, but the questions will stay around the further he moves into what may be his final deal with the Packers.
