Aaron Rodgers posted a cryptic Instagram on Monday night, highlighting moments from the past year and thanking many important people in his life.
In a 10-picture Instagram post, he included photos of himself with Shailene Woodley, wide receiver Randall Cobb, linebacker Preston Smith and others. The first image in his post features a quote from 13th century Persian poet Rumi that says, “Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get Drunk.”
“#MondayNightGratitude for some of the incredibly special people in my life, with some pictures from the last beautiful year,” the post from Rodgers reads. ”@shailenewoodley, thanks for letting me chase after you the first couple months after we met, and finally letting me catch up to you and be a part of your life. Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you.”
He then went on to thank his fellow Packers quarterbacks, including Jordan Love and Kurt Benkert. He highlighted the relationships he made with them and how they helped ease his stress.
“To the men I got to share the QB room with everyday, Matt, Nathaniel, Luke, @jordan3love and @kurtbenkert, you guys made every day so much fun and I’m so thankful for the daily laughs and stress relief you brought me every week of the year,” he said. “I love you guys.”
He also thanked Cobb, Cobb’s wife, Aiyda, offensive tackle David Bakhtiari and his fiancé, Frankie. The Packers’ quarterback included a picture of the five of them in his post. Rodgers went on to recognize his teammates, thanking them for the role they have played in his life every day.
“To my teammates, past and current, you are the icing on the beautiful cake we call our job; football,” he said. ”The friendships that we have will transcend our collective time in this game and I am so thankful for the role that each of you have played in making my life that much better. I love you guys, and cherish the memories we’ve made.”
The four-time MVP ended the post saying he wants everyone to spread love and gratitude.
“To everyone else, spread love and gratitude you beautiful people, and read a book once in a while too while you’re at it. Love and peace.”
The intentions of the post are not clear, though rumors have swirled about Rodgers’s retirement since the end of the season. Following Green Bay’s divisional-round loss to the 49ers in January, Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show that he feels “no fear” in retiring. He also said he’s excited about the future after football.
Rodgers didn’t take a definitive stance on whether he would retire, but he acknowledged he’d make a decision “sooner rather than later,” before free agency in March. He also said he is open to playing with other teams and highly praised the Packers organization.
“One thing I would not do is retire and then come back a year later,“ Rodgers said on the show. “I don’t have any desire to do that. That makes no sense. I feel like I’m at the place with the Packers, you know in a really good place, especially with Brian [Gutekunst], and the way our friendship and trust has grown, where it would be a simple conversation, and whatever comes out of that conversation is moving forward.”
Though the motives behind the Instagram post are not clear, Rodgers surely spread Monday Night Gratitude to the ones he loves.
