It's already been more than 11 months since Aaron Rodgers requested a trade from the Green Bay Packers. But the time's have changed aplenty ever since.

Rodgers wound up returning to Green Bay, winning his fourth career MVP award after guiding the Packers to the top seed in the NFC. After mulling over his future, No. 12 decided to sign a three-year contract extension worth a lucrative $150 million.

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Only time will tell if it was the right call. For now, let's dive into six reasons as to why it was wise for Green Bay to extend Rodgers, and four reasons why they should have moved on from the future Hall of Famer.

13 Right: Favorites In The NFC

The Packers finished as the top seed in an ultra-difficult NFC conference last year. Though the San Francisco 49ers eliminated them in the NFC Divisional Round, the Packers currently look like the team to beat by a wide margin.

The defending champion Los Angeles Rams have already lost Andrew Whitworth, Austin Corbett, Von Miller and Darious Williams. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won't have the luxury of bringing back the same 22 starters from their Super Bowl 54 championship team. The cap-strapped Dallas Cowboys have bid farewell to Amari Cooper, Cedrick Wilson, Randy Gregory and Connor Williams.

The Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson out of the conference, and we don't know if new 49ers starting quarterback Trey Lance is actually ready. Add it all up, and Green Bay certainly looks like the heavy favorite to win the conference.

12 Right: Showing Respect

This doesn't just matter for the sake of keeping Aaron Rodgers happy. If the Packers want current and future superstars to stick around long-term, they need to show some form of respect and loyalty.

It would have sent a bad message to the franchise if they traded away the best quarterback in franchise history. And Green Bay would have certainly found it extra difficult to recruit future stars without Rodgers in the fold.

11 Wrong: A Nightmare Cap Situation

The Packers have traditionally allowed pricey veterans to leave via free agency, trusting the front office to find quality replacements in the draft. They made an official exception with Rodgers, however, by giving him a new three-year deal worth $150 million.

Yes, locking up Rodgers long-term is nice for the short-term. But Green Bay has very little cap space to add veteran stars around Rodgers, and it may prompt them to lose top receiver Davante Adams. Even if Adams re-signs, it's going to be another expensive deal worth over $100 million that will further derail Green Bay's cap situation.

One could argue that Green Bay should've traded Rodgers for valuable draft capital, then build around Love or another young quarterback whose rookie contract would cost a fraction of the $150 million they're giving the four-time MVP.

10 Right: Better Chance To Win Now

The last two Super Bowl Champions — the Bucs and Rams — made strictly win-now moves in order to build around Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford, respectively. When you have a franchise quarterback and most other pieces in place, why not sacrifice draft picks and draft capital in order to bring in proven veterans?

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The "win now" approach also helped other fairly recent Super Bowl champions like the 2015 Denver Broncos and the 2018 New England Patriots. Keeping Rodgers will motivate the Green Bay front office and coaching staff to go all-in and not worry about the future. And as the Bucs and Rams showed, throwing all your poker chips on the table at once can lead to the ultimate reward.

9 Wrong: Is Rodgers Actually Committed?

Sure, Rodgers put the pen to the paper on the aforementioned $150 million extension. But his antics last year were a reminder that Green Bay shouldn't ever feel fully confident that Rodgers wants to stay here long-term. Think about it. He wanted out following the 2020 season in which he won his third MVP and took Green Bay to the NFC Championship Game.

After his fourth MVP season, Rodgers still needed almost two months to decide that he wanted to remain in Green Bay. Can the Packers really trust him to willingly play out his contract here? They can only hope so.

8 Right: Unfinished Business

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The Packers are coming off yet another heartbreaking playoff loss that came down to the wire. The likes of Peyton Manning, John Elway, Matthew Stafford and Steve Young had to endure plenty of postseason heartbreaks before winning a Super Bowl.

Rodgers is the only star player remaining from the last Super Bowl 2010 championship team. Should he and the Packers really agree to split following a tough postseason defeat? If anything, the elimination at the hands of the 49ers should only further motivate them to finish the mission together once and for all.

6 Wrong: Packers Can't Get Over The Hump...Even With Rodgers

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A wise person once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

So there's a case to be made that Green Bay would actually be better off accepting that they've had their opportunities with Rodgers, and that it's time to retool. The Seattle Seahawks were wise to trade Russell Wilson while his value was high. The Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings, on the other hand, aren't in position to win any time soon because they've committed too much money to past-their-prime veterans and aging quarterbacks.

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The Packers' roster won't be as deep and talented as last year's. Should they really give it another go with Rodgers? Perhaps taking some time to step back and reshape this roster without No. 12 would have been the smart call. Only time will tell.

4 Right: Jordan Love Isn't Ready

The Packers had good reason to move on from Brett Favre in 2008. Not only because he couldn't make up his mind on retirement, but they knew that a then-24-year-old Rodgers was ready for the grand stage.

It's not the same case with Jordan Love. The team's 2020 first-round pick struggled in his lone regular season start last season, and there weren't any real "wow" performances in the pre-season. The Packers don't have to trade Love, but they certainly couldn't have gone into 2022 believing that he'd be ready to start. It's wise to invest in Rodgers for at least three more seasons. A decision on Love's future can be made down the road.

3 Wrong: Window To Win Is Much Shorter

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Even if Rodgers plays out his contract with Green Bay, the man will be 39 years of age in December. His new deal, as previously mentioned, leaves the Packers with limited cap room.

Rodgers' contract gives Green Bay a very short window to win a Super Bowl. But what if they traded him now, properly built around Love and moved forward with the latter on a cheap deal? That would keep Green Bay's window open significantly longer.

If Green Bay wins a championship or two with Rodgers, this will all be a moot point. If not, then they could forever regret not starting over with Love in 2022.

1 Keeping Fans And Locker Room Happy

Trading away Rodgers would have been a tough move for Green Bay fans to stomach. And it wouldn't serve as a very good message to the rest of the locker room.

From PR and business standpoints, keeping Rodgers is an easy call. The Packers would have greatly alienated the fanbase if they traded Rodgers in his prime, as opposed to giving him a new contract. Extending the four-time MVP is a win-win for everybody: The front office, the players, the coaches and the fans.

Even for Love, it doesn't hurt to learn behind the all-time great for another year or two or three.