Aaron Rodgers Promises There Will Be No Drawn-Out Offseason Drama This Time
As he approaches the end of a season that began with doubts but he now calls “one of my favorite years of football,” Aaron Rodgers promises to make a relatively quick decision about his future after this season ends.
“It won’t be something where I’ll drag it out for months and months,” he told reporters.
The 38-year-old Cal product, who last week became the Green Bay Packers’ career leader in touchdown passes, did not rule out any scenario, including the possibility he could retire.
That seems unlikely given that Rodgers still is at the top of his game, currently the favorite to win his fourth MVP award, his second in a row.
This season began badly, with Rodgers throwing a pair of interceptions in a 38-3 opening loss to the New Orleans Saints. Since then he has thrown 33 touchdowns and just two more picks, and the Packers have the best record in the NFC at 12-3.
"I'm not going to hold the team back from anything," said Rodgers, explaining that he will have conversations with team president Mark Murphy, general manager Brian Gutekunst and vice president of football operations Russ Ball and with coach Matt LaFleur and his staff before making a decision. "And once I commit -- and if it's committing to move forward here -- it will be a quick decision.”
Rodgers was anything but expedient in rolling out his plans last spring and summer. Unhappy that the Packers had drafted quarterback Jordan Love in 2020 without first conferring with him, Rodgers skipped the club’s offseason program and let it be known he didn’t want to play again for the franchise.
He finally showed up the day before camp opened, and months later he sounds open to virtually all possibilities going forward.
"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 is under contract through the 2023 season, but after returning last summer the club agreed to void the final year. So he has freedom to do just about anything next season.
"There will be a lot of things that I'll weigh in the offseason," Rodgers said. "Saying that doesn't mean, or any of the comments I've made, doesn't mean I'm thinking about (playing) elsewhere, I do want to clarify that.
“The things that I've said about the team this year, about Brian's and I's relationship, has been heartfelt and genuine, and I do appreciate a lot of the things that I've seen from the team that are directly related to conversations we had in the offseason, and that was meaningful to me. I've enjoyed being a part of conversations that directly affect my job, which I talked about in the offseason, and Brian's taken the lead in that, and I do appreciate the way our relationship has grown.
"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.”
Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Samantha Madar, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
