A Tier 1 quarterback can carry his team each week. The team wins because of him. He expertly handles pure passing situations.

That's the tier personnel people voted to put Aaron Rodgers in the sixth annual Quarterback Tiers survey as compiled by Mike Sando (formerly of ESPN, now writing for The Athletic)

From Sando: 

Fifty-five NFL coaches and executives contributed to the survey this year by placing all veteran starting quarterbacks into one of five tiers and then offering insights into their thinking.

Tier 1 is reserved for the best, while Tier 5 is so poor that no starters received a majority of votes in that tier this year.

Once ballots were in, I averaged the results to create a ranking. The Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers commanded 53 Tier 1 votes and two Tier 2 votes, creating a 1.04 average that narrowly landed him atop the rankings despite a tumultuous 2018 season, generating a rich, lively discussion among voters. By proceeding past this introduction, you’ll enjoy a front-row seat for some of the most candid discussions among those voters — not just for Rodgers, but for all quarterbacks.

The rankings are not gospel. No single voter agrees with the final results exactly. There are quarterbacks I’d move higher or lower if filling out my own ballot. This is a composite look at what the league thinks of its quarterbacks and why.

Here's what the personnel folks had to say about Rodgers:

Rodgers has at least tied for the top spot six times in six years of QB Tiers balloting, but some voters were less enthusiastic this time around. Two even placed Rodgers in the second tier, the first time Rodgers received a second-tier vote since 2014, when he was coming off an injury.

“It was always Ted Thompson or Mike McCarthy’s fault, and when it gets to be two people’s fault, then you wonder,” a GM who nonetheless placed Rodgers in the top tier said. “You see the body language and then you realize the heroics come when there is nothing to lose.”

Those most critical of Rodgers raised concerns about him becoming less coachable, going for big plays instead of running the offense, failing to get Green Bay into the playoffs and losing some dynamism through cumulative injuries.

“Guys like Rodgers get canonized and put on a pedestal so high that it’s hard for the coach to keep up,” said a coach who placed Rodgers in the top tier. “Someone has to tell him, ‘Listen, if you do that again, I’m going to kick you right in the balls.”

A different coach had a different message for Rodgers: “Please, come to my team!”

The coach who thought legendary QBs sometimes need a figurative kick below the belt thought Brett Favre missed that type of hard coaching later in his career. Another veteran coach saw similarities among Rodgers, Dan Marino and Tony Romo later in their careers, suggesting all three became tougher to coach.

“Rodgers is a stud,” a veteran defensive coordinator pushed back. “That’s a bitch right there. It is never dead with Rodgers. He has eyes in the back of his head. Special.”

Another voter explained that “since we do not know what plays are called and we do not know what his audible ability is from the outside, I’m looking at this as who do you want on your team and who is hardest to defend by your definitions? Rodgers comes out tops on both.”

Another Rodgers defender said he charted all the catchable passes Rodgers delivered that were not caught through the bulk of last season. His conclusion: Rodgers’ incomplete passes were better than a lot of starters’ highlights.

“Debating whether Rodgers is in the top tier is the equivalent of asking whether LeBron James is the best basketball player,” a defensive backs coach said, “because he is just so gifted with some of his abilities, and there is no way you can say a Matt Ryan is better even though there could be some years statistically where a case can be made.”

The Packers obviously could have done more to support Rodgers. Some voters also thought Green Bay would benefit from offensive scheme changes.

“Rodgers is the only one that can do everything with the least talent,” a different defensive coordinator said. “Brady makes Tier 1 decisions but cannot carry the team in the same way. New England has the system and the running game. Put all the other quarterbacks on that (Packers) team and who do you think would succeed? Not many.”