Aaron Rodgers saw this one coming.
Tom Brady spent all of his career on the other side of the bracket, dominating the AFC for so many years while Rodgers scratched and clawed his way through the NFC to try to win a Super Bowl. He won just one, while Brady racked up six, with three coming since Rodgers entered the league in 2005.
Brady flipped sides in the offseason, entering the NFC with his move to Tampa. That meant Rodgers might have to beat Brady to earn himself another shot at a Lombardi.
"I've been a fan of his for a long time and enjoyed the few times we got to play," Rodgers said of Brady on Wednesday. "I remember when I heard the news about him coming to the NFC, I thought this was a real possibility. I'm excited about the opportunity to play against him."
The opportunity comes with a chance to earn some revenge. Brady's Bucs blew the doors off the Packers during their regular-season meeting, scoring 38 unanswered after falling behind 10-0 to cruise to a stunning victory over Green Bay. That game hasn't been lost on the Packers, who continue to point to the sizable amount of time between then and now as a contributing factor to why this one could turn out differently.
Rodgers' teammates have their own bit of motivation, too. What better way to get Rodgers his second ring than by beating the Greatest of All Time along the way?
"I think we all want it as equally for ourselves, which ends up getting Aaron one in the end. But he definitely deserves it," Packers receiver Davante Adams said, via the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood. "It's a tough thing, because you look at Brady, and everybody wants to make that comparison forever. So it's basically turned into a quarterback stat, a Super Bowl. So if that's what it's going to be, then obviously we're going to put as much as we can in ourselves to help him get there.
"And ultimately will relieve him of the Super Bowl being the thing that's keeping him from being the G.O.A.T. Because in my mind, he's the G.O.A.T. regardless of how many Super Bowls are won. But just for the world, just to shut them up, I guess we can go out there and get one for him."
It's obviously not that easy, but it's exciting to know Rodgers' No. 1 receiver feels so passionately about the way his all-time great quarterback is viewed during this era of legendary passers. That type of passion makes Sunday's NFC Championship Game that much more exciting.
Will one more Lombardi bring Rodgers even to Brady's total? Nope, not even close. But it will add to his own resume, which has long been carried by his on-field prowess, individual awards and statistical achievements. It's just lacking another trophy to go along with the one he won a decade ago.
