Sadly, The DickRodge Era Has Ended

We’ll always remember the Hail Mary. Unfortunately, we won’t remember much else about Richard Rodgers, AKA DickRodge, and his tenure with the Green Bay Packers.

DickRodge has signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

First, let’s relive the glory.

https://twitter.com/HailRodgers12/status/981637267721682946

And that was really the only truly impactful game Rodgers had in his four-year Packers’ career. Eight catches, 146 yards and the touchdown for the win. Rodgers never had more than 77 yards in another contest. He only surpassed the 60-yard mark twice, if you throw out the Hail Mary game.

I recall arguing with people about Rodgers after the Hail Mary game. He’s finally coming on, they said. One game does not a career make, I said. And who was correct?

In his four years with the Packers, Rodgers twice had seasons (2015 and 2016) in which he averaged less than 10 yards per reception. His Packers’ career average is 9.7 per reception.

Despite playing some receiver in college, Rodgers just wasn’t fast enough to get separation in the pros. He would catch everything thrown his way — he has great hands — and then be tackled immediately.

The 2014 Draft

Let’s run down the list of Packers’ draft picks — Ted Thompson draft picks from 2014.

1. Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
2. Davante Adams
3a. Khyri Thornton
3b. Richard Rodgers
4. Carl Bradford
5a. Corey Linsley
5b. Jared Abbrederis
6. Demetri Goodson
7. Jeff Janis

Now, let’s describe these players.

1. Overrated piece of crap
2. Solid, getting paid like a superstar, better become one
3a. Complete and total bust who Thompson could have drafted two or three rounds later
3b. DickRodge, what else can you say?
4. Complete and total bust who couldn’t find a position
5a. Solid if unspectacular starter
5b. Out of football
6. Sticks around like a cockroach and will probably do so again because of special teams play.
7. By Rob’s standards for him, Janis is an out and out bust, but realistically he’s just a good special teams player and the Packers didn’t need.

So what did the Packers get out of the 2014 draft? Three starters, two total busts, two guys they didn’t care to re-sign and a special teams player.

Packers’ Free Agents

Here’s something else I find telling. The Packers obviously aren’t interested in re-signing their own free agents. The two guys they wanted back — Adams and Linsley — they took care of before free agency began.

They’ve now watched Morgan Burnett, Joe Thomas, Jeff Janis and Richard Rodgers sign elsewhere for peanuts or something close. Of those, Burnett received the only halfway substantial contract at three years and $14.35 million. That’s about $4.8 million annually, which is certainly not breaking the bank.

Burnett was among the Packers’ free agents who got lucky. He actually got more than $4 million guaranteed.

Thomas got two years at $3.6 million from Dallas. He got $600,000 guaranteed, which is the first guaranteed money of his career.

Janis got a one-year deal with nothing guaranteed. Rodgers also has a one-year deal.

What am I getting at? The Packers’ free agents are not in demand. Not by the Packers, not by anyone else.

And that definitely says something.

Let’s go down the list of the Packers’ remaining free agents.

• Ahmad Brooks
• Quinton Dial
• Davon House
• Ulrick John
• Brett Goode
• Taybor Pepper

Other than House, who could be re-signed this week, the Packers — and probably the rest of the league — have little to no interest in these guys. In fact, it seems that the Packers are the only team possibly interested in House.

It’s like the Packers pieced the middle to backend of their 2017 roster together with some chicken wire, duct tape and maybe a piece of chewing gum like MacGyver used to do.

The Tight Ends

So what will the Packers do at tight end without the mighty DickRodge?

They should be fine. They signed Jimmy Graham. They still have Lance Kendricks on the roster for another season. He can pick up the blocking slack.

Then they have a couple developmental guys in Emanuel Byrd, a former undrafted free agent, and Robert Tonyan, who was one of those futures signings.

Mike McCarthy has stated — get this — that he’d like four or five tight ends on the roster. So GM Brian Gutekunst still has some work to do.

One name that’s still available on the free agent market that some people seem to love is former Jaguars tight end Marcedes Lewis. I don’t love him. He’ll be 34 next month and hasn’t really done much since 2012, when he had 54 for 540 and four touchdowns.

Most likely, the Packers will grab a tight end in the draft and if they keep four, Byrd will be the fourth.

Theoretically, that could take the Packers from the days of six and seven receivers on the roster to five, tops. If you think about the current receiver group, Davante Adams is a lock and that’s about it.

Who’s in after that? Maybe Randall Cobb because he has produced in the past? He also has a gigantic contract that makes no sense. Maybe Geronimo Allison? He looked promising as a rookie, but was disappointing in year two. Maybe Trevor Davis? What the hell has he ever done as a receiver? Maybe Michael Clark? An intriguing prospect, but raw as hell. Maybe DeAngelo Yancey? He’s one of three draft picks that got cut in 2017.

Plenty of interesting angles for the Packers between now and training camp.