When it comes to his future, Aaron Rodgers is ready to make one promise: he won’t wait too long after this season to make his decision.
Rodgers, 38, gave a glimpse into his thought process while deciding what he wants to do next season on Wednesday. And he kept all options open, including returning to the Packers, playing for another team, and retiring.
“It won’t be something where I’ll drag it out for months and months,” Rodgers stated at the conclusion of a lengthy response to a question regarding his future.
After the season, Rodgers said he’ll talk to his “loved ones,” the front office, including team president Mark Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst, and vice president of football operations Russ Ball, as well as coach Matt LaFleur and his staff, before making a decision.
Rodgers stated, “I’m not going to hold the team back from anything.” “And once I commit — and if it’s committing to move forward here — it will be a quick decision.”
Rodgers termed his future with the Packers a “beautiful mystery” about a year ago, and then placed himself in a group of players with unknown futures after last season’s NFC Championship Game loss to the Buccaneers. Rodgers began telling friends he didn’t want to return to the Packers in April, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. That issue was not resolved until July 1, the day before training camp began. Rodgers aired his grievances upon his return to the team after missing the whole summer training. The feeling that he had not been participating in conversations that directly impacted his career was one of them.
Rodgers has back to MVP form after a sluggish start that featured a 38-3 blowout defeat to the Saints in the opener, and the Packers (12-3) have the best record in the NFL with two games remaining. Rodgers has heaped praise on Gutekunst and his team when it comes to acquiring players at various stages this season.
When asked about retirement, Rodgers stated, “wouldn’t rule that out,” but added, “This has been one of my favourite years of football.”
“I think that I’m just enjoying this season for this season and I think playing next year will definitely be in the thought process,” Rodgers said. “One of the things that obviously [I want is] to not be a bum on the way out and to still be able to play, I think is important to me. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that I still can play, I still have a love for the game, I’m still super competitive and still enjoy the process of the week.”
Rodgers even stated that he misses the daily grind of practise, something he hasn’t been able to participate in for the previous month and a half due to his fractured toe.
“I have a lot of love for Matt and enjoy playing for him. I love my teammates. The coaching staff has been fantastic, and they make it fun every single day. And the guys, obviously, is what you play for. … So I’m just savoring this year as much as anything.”
Rodgers has a deal that runs until next season. He was originally signed until 2023, but the Packers decided to modify his contract and waive the final year upon his return.
Davante Adams, a receiver for the Green Bay Packers, is also interested. He’s nearing the end of his contract. Negotiations on a contract extension fell down before the season, and considering his ties to Rodgers (the two recently set the franchise mark for touchdowns by a quarterback and receiver with 67), it’s probable he’ll wait until Rodgers makes a decision.