Aaron Rodgers finally broke his silence on his NFL future during a blockbuster interview on Wednesday.
The NFL offseason has been ultimately led by a key narrative in the form of Rodgers’ future. There were rumours the four-time MVP was set to leave the Green Bay Packers after 18 seasons, whether it be for another franchise - like the New York Jets - or retirement.
There was a palpable sense of finality in his post-game interviews after the Packers lost to the Detroit Lions, eliminating them from playoff contention but the quarterback entered a darkness retreat while he was being heavily linked with a move to the Jets. On the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers declared his intention to play for the AFC East franchise - but what else did he reveal during his 60-minute interview?
1. Rodgers wanted to retire last month
When Rodgers entered his five-day, four-night darkness retreat, he revealed he was ’90 percent’ leaning towards retirement where just 10 percent of him wanted to continue playing in the NFL. However, he admitted his hunger for the game remained and became apparent after he emerged back into the light.
“When I got out of the darkness, something changed,” Rodgers said. “I had no WiFi on my ‘hippie mountain’, I received texts that there had been a shift and I had heard from multiple people around the league I trust - players, mostly - that there was some shopping going on.
“I had come to the realisation that the Packers want to move on; they have made that clear in so many words.”
2. Praise for Jordan Love
The Packers drafted Jordan Love in the first round back in 2020, and it undoubtedly lit a fire in Rodgers to prove himself again in the form of successive MVP awards. However, there was reported animosity between the veteran and his anointed successor - and Rodgers appeared to shut that down.
“[The Packers] don't want me to come back,” Rodgers said. “They want to move on with Jordan. And that's awesome, and Jordan's going to be a great player. He's a f****** great kid, he had a really good year this year, he's getting better.
“He's got a bright future in front of him. They've got a bright young team.”
It will be interesting to see how the Love era unfolds in Green Bay following back-to-back Hall of Fame starters in the form of Brett Favre and Rodgers. The Packers have until May to decide to trigger his fifth-year option - worth $20.272million.
Assuming the team takes the option given the expensive quarterback market, Love essentially has two years to prove he is the future of the iconic NFC North franchise.
3. Las Vegas Raiders interest
When McAfee asked if other teams other than the Jets were in the mix to acquire his services, Rodgers appeared to suggest he would have been interested in joining the Las Vegas Raiders in order to reunite with Davante Adams. However, he was ultimately swayed by Nathaniel Hackett’s presence on the Jets staff as offensive coordinator.
“I think there were other teams that were interested,” Rodgers said on Wednesday. “And obviously there's certain players that I have a lot of love and affinity for, and reuniting with especially one specific person would've been special.
When pushed, the 39-year-old refused to give any more away, but the suggestion was more than a hint in Adams and the Raiders direction. “I’m not mentioning any names, but there's definitely one particular guy, him and I have this special unspoken rapport. “If there's anybody that I would've wanted to put on a 'demand list,' if you can incorporate any player across the league, it would be (this) one specific person.”
4. Best Packer ever?
One quote that certainly stood out came when Rodgers placed himself atop the mountain as the best Packers player in franchise history. He has spent more time in Green Bay than any other player, while he is a four-time MVP, 10-time Pro Bowler, and Super Bowl champion.
Rodgers said: “I would say this is debatable, but I'm debatably the best player in franchise history. I’m in the conversation for sure. What's not debatable is I'm the longest-tenured Packer in history.
“You can debate the first part, obviously Bart (Starr), Brett (Favre), a number of names have been incredible. But you can't debate that anybody has been there longer than I have. And nobody has bled green and gold like me.”
Rodgers is certainly in the conversation to be the Packers GOAT, although he is right - Bart Starr and Brett Favre deserve consideration, as does dominant defensive star Reggie White.
5. There was NO player wishlist
Ahead of any potential trade, rumours claimed Rodgers had given the Jets a list of players to acquire as the franchise signed Allen Lazard while they were linked with Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis - a trio of former Packers. Odell Beckham Jr. was also reportedly on the list - a man linked with a move to Green Bay on several occasions over the last couple of years - but Rodgers insisted he only spoke highly of his former teammates and he certainly never gave the Jets a list.
“That’s so ridiculous,” Rodgers said. “That's not the reality. It's so stupid to think I would do that.”
The Jets signed Lazard to a four-year deal worth $44m, and Rodgers praised him as ‘a very good player’. He also addressed the Beckham rumours, adding: “Who wouldn’t want Odell on their team?”
