Aaron Rodgers is the kind of character the NFL needs. Love him or hate him, he’s a constant source of discussion, and to be fair to the experienced quarterback, he has the skillset and the career achievements to back him up, and as such, he is very much the complete package.
The 39-year-old hit a low point last season. His efforts to take the Green Bay Packers to the post-season failed for the first time since 2018, and following the completion of the NFL season, he has opted to take a step back.
He spent a four-day period at a darkness retreat and is now set to announce his intentions as regards his NFL career. Over the course of his lengthy career in the game, it would be fair to say that he has, on the whole, almost always delivered the goods; in this way, he has been as rewarding as casinos with fast payout facilities. In other words, he’s been bankable and is a player the Packers won’t easily replace.
Rodgers sat down to discuss his future during an extensive interview on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast, stating his plans, albeit in loose detail;
“It’s best for anybody who has an interest to make a decision sooner rather than later,”
“I feel really good about the conversations that are going to be had, that have been had with important people in my life, yourself included, that helped orient me,”
“But I’m not looking for somebody to tell me what the answer is. All the answers are right inside me, and I touched on many of them — and definitely the feelings on both sides — during the darkness, and I’m thankful for that time. There’s a finality to the decision, and I don’t make it lightly.”
“I don’t want to drag anybody around. Look, I’m answering questions about it because they asked about it. I’m talking about it because it’s important to me. If you don’t like it, if you think it’s drama, you think I’m being a diva or whatever, just tune it out. That’s fine. But this is my life, it’s important to me, and I’ll make a decision soon enough and then we’ll go down that road and be really excited about it.” Rodgers added.
No doubt Rodgers will want to learn from the mistakes made by another NFL legend, Tom Brady. The decorated quarterback, having retired from the game only to reverse his decision weeks later before making a permanent decision at the close of last season.
Rodgers has completed 18 seasons at the Lambeau Field franchise, winning just a single Super Bowl as well as collecting the NFL MVP award on four occasions, and he has effectively got three options at present.
He could opt to stick it out with the Packers, move on to another team or retire from the game entirely. Of those decisions, it seems the option to play elsewhere is the least likely right now.
Comments made by Brian Gutekunst, Green Bay’s general manager, seem to suggest that the Packers are ready to move on;
“He’s a great player, but until we have those conversations, I think all options are on the table right now,”
“But we really need to have those conversations. We want what’s best for the Green Bay Packers, what’s best for Aaron. So, we’ll get to that once those conversations happen.”
Hardly the kind of tone or sentiment that would lead Rodgers to believe he is indispensable at Green Bay.
