Aaron Rodgers repeated Monday what he said Friday about his future being out of his control. But the Packers quarterback went into more detail.
The Packers invited speculation about Rodgers’ future when they traded up to draft Rodgers’ heir apparent, Jordan Love, in the first round a year ago. They have their starting quarterback on a year-to-year arrangement, and maybe the Packers already would have traded Rodgers if not for his MVP season in 2020.
Rodgers played like he had a chip on his shoulder in winning a third MVP award, making the Packers’ decision on his immediate future for them.
But since the Packers haven’t restructured Rodgers’ contract to give him the job security he covets, his future beyond 2021 remains in doubt.
“Well, look, I’m not insulated completely from all those conversations [with people speculating about his future],” Rodgers told Pat McAfee on his show Monday. “I think part of it is you have to have some understanding of what’s going on out there. We’re exactly where we were last year when I made comments after the draft and throughout the season. I don’t feel like any of that’s changed. Even my comments even directly after the last game. . . . Some people made assumptions based on what I said. Nothing’s really changed. My future is really, a lot of it is out of my control. That’s why I use phrases like beautiful mystery, because it is quite uncertain which direction that things are going to go. All I can do is play my best, and I feel like I did do that and may have thrown a wrench into some timelines that may have been thought about or desired.
“But ultimately things haven’t really changed on that front. I meant what I said last year about really being at peace with the whole thing, and that hasn’t really changed. I feel good about the way I played. I feel good about the way I led. I loved our interactions and everything that this show provided for me last year. I think people got a raw look at honest conversations about the future and someone who’s not bitter or disappointed or frustrated about things that they realize they can’t control. My future is one of them and I’ve kind of surrendered to what’s going to happen and just confident in what I bring to the table and how I played last year and everything else is for speculation, and I’m sure there will be plenty of it.”
Rodgers, 37, completed 70.7 percent of his passes for 48 touchdowns and five interceptions last season. The Packers, though, lost in the NFC Championship Game to the Buccaneers, who won it all with Tom Brady in his first season as the team’s quarterback.
The Packers have not won the Super Bowl since 2010.
