As the 2021 season begins, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers continues to be candid about the things that happened in the offseason. Specifically, his thoughts about retiring.
He called it “contemplation” in an interview with Erin Andrews of Fox Sports. And Rodgers admitted that he indeed considered starting again elsewhere, or calling it quits.
“I did,” Rodgers said about the possibility of a pre-draft trade, which reached a fever pitch after Paul Allen of KFAN reported on the morning of the draft that the 49ers had called the Packers about a trade, and that the Packers had said no. “Because they wouldn’t commit to me past 2021. So I figured if they want to make a change even though I just won MVP, why wait? They drafted my replacement, so let him play if that’s what you want. But I also could picture myself not playing, so it was a lot of things.”
As to the possibility of retiring, Rodgers said that he considered it “100 percent.”
“I don’t feel like I have anything left to prove on the field,” Rodgers said. “I think it’s more about the enjoyment and the happiness and the quality of life that this game has afforded me over the years. And being able to 100 percent commit to everything that my job entails and there were many times during the offseason where I felt like I wasn’t able to fully do that. And until I was, it was a possibility.”
It’s now a strong possibility that it will be his last year in Green Bay. Last year, no one knew how close it was to happening. This year, it’s fair to constantly wonder whether it will be his last one with the Packers.