NFL legend Aaron Rodgers has suggested he could turn to ayahuasca once again when he makes a decision over his immediate future after the Green Bay Packers failed to make the postseason.
In the final round of the regular season, the Packers welcomed the Detroit Lions to Lambeau Field knowing that a win over their NFC North rivals would ensure safe passage to the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs. However, the Lions - who had nothing but pride to play for - overcame Rodgers and the Packers as they claimed a 20-16 victory to eliminate the home side.
Rodgers finished the season with 12 interceptions - the most he threw in a single campaign since 2008, his first year as a starter - while he also failed to post a single 300-yard passing game for the first time in his career. The 39-year-old signed a monster new contract last offseason and is weighing up his options as he could either return to the iconic franchise, join a new team or retire from the NFL entirely.
After enduring last year’s offseason littered with speculation surrounding his future, Rodgers and the Packers appear set for a similar scenario. Rodgers has been the starting quarterback in Green Bay since succeeding Brett Favre in 2008 and he fuelled retirement speculation with non-committal answers in the post-game press conference after the heart-wrenching loss to the Lions.
Rodgers has spoken out in recent years about his renewed passion for life and the sport, crediting his use of ayahuasca in helping him love himself unconditionally. Ayahuasca is a plant-based psychoactive tea which contains the hallucinogenic drug DMT, and has been used as a traditional healing method for thousands of years in Central and South America.
The four-time MVP was caught in a storm last offseason when he declared he took ayahuasca and learned a great deal from it. Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers revealed he is wiling to have another ayahuasca journey once he reaches a concrete decision over his future, saying: “There won't be another sitting and ceremony before the decision, I can tell you that, but perhaps after.”
After Rodgers claimed his second successive MVP award last season - and fourth of his career - he signed a contract extension which made him the highest paid player in North American sports history on an annual basis. He will earn $50.27 million per year through the 2026 season, when he will be 43 years of age.
Rodgers has failed to deliver a Super Bowl title since the 2010 season despite the Packers’ recent success in the regular season. He has not been able to translate such play to the playoffs, twice crashing out at Lambeau.
The 10-time Pro Bowler has spoken positively of ayahuasca in the past, as his experience with the drug changed his outlook on life. Rodgers said: “There was some deep contemplation.
“Who am I without football, who am I without the game? Who am I outside of the No.12 you see on the field? Applied medicine has allowed me to see clearly.”
