Aaron Rodgers is non-committal as to whether he’ll play or retire. If he plays, it’s uncertain he will be back with the Packers.
Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show” Tuesday and admitted that anything is possible as it pertains to his future, after his Packers got upset 13-10 by the 49ers at home in the NFC divisional round.
“I think everything is definitely on the table,” Rodgers said, meaning a return to the Packers, a trade to another team or retirement. “There are things that seem more plausible or likely which I won’t get into. The most important thing is first the commitment to playing – and going into the offseason and training – and after that it’s conversations with my agent and Brian and looking at the desires of the team and the mindset moving forward and make a decision from there.”
Rodgers is signed through next season, so free agency is not a possibility. On Monday, Packers coach Matt LaFleur emphasized that the team wants Rodgers back. The Packers are about $45 million over the cap next year and have some difficult decisions to make.
As far as other plausible options, the one that makes the most sense from afar is the Denver Broncos. The Broncos just completed a second interview with Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett for their head coaching job. Rodgers publicly stumped for Hackett to get that job.
John Elway could sell Rodgers on finishing his career with a title – like himself and Peyton Manning both did in Denver. The Broncos were interested in Rodgers last season, and are untethered at quarterback for next year.
What will factor into Rodgers’ decision?
“Some of the factors are the direction of the team and organization and how I feel like I fit in the future,” Rodgers said. “Mentally, do I still have competitive desire to keep playing?
“I think it’s just a feeling you know once the offseason has started. When you’re a hyper-competitive individual, you dream about the fairytale ending. That doesn’t mean winning the Super Bowl necessarily. Not many people have done that. Peyton and Elway did. It comes down to how you’re feeling. Do you still have joy and commitment to the game and want to sign up for the grind again? Only way to know is to step away for awhile, think about the enormity of the task and what would bring you the most enjoyment.”
One major difference between this offseason and the last – in which Rodgers openly threatened not to return to Green Bay – is his relationship with the Packers’ front office. While he was not having any communication whatsoever with GM Brian Gutekunst then, he reiterated at several points that the relationship has taken a significant step forward.
“One thing I would 100 percent not do is retire and then come back a year later,” Rodgers said. “I don’t have any desire to do that. That makes no sense. I feel like I’m in a really good place with the Packers, especially with [GM] Brian [Gutekunst], our friendship and trust has grown, it would be a simple conversation and whatever comes out of that conversation is moving forward. There’s not gonna be a weird standoff war of silence. When it comes time to make a decision, we’ll do it and that will be that. It won’t be a long, drawn out process.”
Rodgers kept repeating that he does not want to delay his decision, being sensitive to the other moves that have to be made around the team. For example, the Packers have a deadline coming in early March on whether to apply the franchise tag to star free agent receiver Davante Adams.
He does not envision fear playing a role in his process.
“I talked about that last year,” Rodgers said. “I don’t have a fear of retirement I felt that during the offseason, so theres not any fear around it. The uncertainty is not unsettling at all. It’s almost exciting, thinking about what life is going to look like moving forward.”