Aaron Rodgers shares thoughts on retirement, Ben Roethlisberger likely to split home with Steelers
Despite the fact that he’s still playing at the MVP level, Aaron Rodgers can’t guarantee that he’ll want to start in quarterback for an NFL team next season.
Just last week, the Packers star told ESPN Wisconsin’s Jason Wilde that he retirement will not be ruled out after completing the 2021 campaign, as there will be “a lot of things that I will consider during the season” before making a final decision. The 38-year-old made clear the possibility of leaving the league during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
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Rodgers told McAfee: “I have dedicated a lot of my life to this game. “I didn’t start playing until eighth grade, obviously played four years in high school, played three in college, when I was 17. [season with the Packers]. At some point, the ride stops and you have to get off. I think you can still play, can still walk, can still have cognitive function of the brain when you’re done playing. Those are the important things. “
Across 15 games – he missed Week 9 after being placed on Green Bay’s COVID-19 list – Rodgers completed 68.6% of his passes in 3,977 yards with 35 touchdowns and only four interceptions. He led the Packers to the No. 1 seed in NFC, and he could be well on his way to winning his fourth MVP award.
“I’ve really tried, this year, to stay in the present as much as I can,” Rodgers said. “I know it’s hard because people want to talk about my future and what I want to do. And I respect that, and I appreciate that. But for me, the past can’t be on two feet. living in nostalgia for what we’ve achieved stay in the present and that allows me to enjoy the little things.”
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Rodgers, who visited ESPN’s “ManningCast” in what could be Steelers defender Ben Roethlisberger’s last home game, also discussed the possibility of playing his entire professional career with one team. . Roethlisberger says Week 17 match might be his last match at Heinz Field, and after a 26-14 win over Browns, he received what certainly felt like a final farewell from his home audience.
Rodgers expressed his appreciation for what Roethlisberger did and felt he deserved the moment, but he also spoke of the former Lions’ retirement to return to Barry Sanders, who suddenly announced that he would not be returning for the 1999-2000 season in a letter to his hometown newspaper, the Wichita Eagle.
“If you remember, when [Sanders] retired, he had, like, a little note: ‘Hey, guys. Thanks. It’s fun. I am going out. ‘ I always thought that was great,” said Rodgers. He loves the game, but he has never been bigger than the game. I think that’s a great way to do it. I think to have the same fanfare and respect as Ben did at Heinz Field last night is also great. I think he deserves it. He has 18 years [there]. He’s an adult in Pittsburgh. He’s given his life – almost half of his life, he lives in Pittsburgh and plays for the Steelers. It’s quite special.
“There are some positives to both of those things, but I don’t think – I would never want to have a farewell tour. I just think it worked for some guys and was great. wonderful and wonderful, and I respect that. But that’s not what I want.”
For now, Rodgers and the Packers are focused on wrapping up the regular season with a high performance in a Week 18 game against the Lions. The outcome of the game will not affect Green Bay’s seeding, but Rodgers Are you planning to play? in Detroit.
