Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn’t determined whether he will play next season or retire but he indicated Wednesday that it won’t be a drawn-out process.
Rodgers left the Packers hanging last offseason but he said that won’t be the case this time. The 38-year-old said he will make a decision shortly after the 2021 season concludes.
“I’m not going to hold the team back from anything,” Rodgers told reporters. “And once I commit — and if it’s committing to move forward here — it will be a quick decision.”
As for announcing his retirement, Rodgers said he “wouldn’t rule that out.”
Last season, Rodgers used his press conference from the NFC Championship Game loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to assert that he was one of the players that might not be back in Green Bay. The timing was a stunner — not just because of the press conference setting but also because Rodgers won NFL MVP honors.
Rodgers skipped the entire offseason program and his situation wasn’t resolved until the eve of training camp. So his tune is vastly different now.
“It won’t be something where I’ll drag it out for months and months,” Rodgers said.
The Packers (12-3) are thriving entering Sunday night’s home game against the Minnesota Vikings. Green Bay currently holds the top spot in NFC playoff positioning.
Rodgers has passed for 3,689 yards and 33 touchdowns against just four interceptions this season. In last Saturday’s 24-22 win over the Cleveland Browns, Rodgers tossed three touchdown passes to become the franchise leader with 445, surpassing legendary Brett Favre (442).
Rodgers doesn’t have the same level of tension with the organization as he did earlier this year. His relationship with general manager Brian Gutekunst has improved and Rodgers mentioned that he will discuss his future with Gutekunst, team president Mark Murphy, vice president of football operations Russ Ball and coach Matt LaFleur before making his decision.
“There will be a lot of things that I’ll weigh in the offseason,” said Rodgers, a first-round pick by Green Bay in 2005. “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.”
–Field Level Media