Aaron Rodgers says he's not 'mentally or emotionally' ready to make decisions about future
It's been nine days since the season ended for the Green Bay Packers, and that just hasn't been enough time for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to figure out whether he wants to return to the Packers, retire, or pursue a mystery third option.
Rodgers went on the "Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday afternoon and wasn't able to talk about his future, simply because he's not "mentally or emotionally at that point" to make any decisions about it.
How'd the meetings go with Brian Gutekunst?
"We had all the conversations we wanted to have about football for now and we'll take some time to contemplate the future" ~@AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/l4z3lDCl97— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 17, 2023
Rodgers, 39, is determined to do this on his own timeline, and discussed what his decision-making process will be like.
"I think you always have a feeling where you're leaning but there's a lot of things that come into play"@AaronRodgers chats about his future #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/J7FgWsAjE4
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 17, 2023
When he spoke about the final team meetings of the season, he sounded a little bit like a high school senior leaving the varsity team for the last time.
"I wanted to spend some time with the coaches and see everybody before we all head out for the offseason"@AaronRodgers12 dives into the Packers end of the season meeting #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/46iomB0r11
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 17, 2023
The Packers season ended too early for Rodgers. They had an opportunity to make the playoffs in Week 18 if they could beat the Detroit Lions, a team Rodgers found so non-threatening that he needled them in the media several times during the season.
But the Lions, who had been eliminated earlier in the day, put all their oomph into keeping the Packers out of the playoffs, and succeeded. The Packers lost to Detroit, 20-16, which gave the hard-luck Lions their ninth win of the year, and their first winning season since 2017. The Packers went home without a playoff spot for just the third time since their 2010 Super Bowl win, the only one of Rodgers' tenure.
Rodgers was pretty raw after the loss, but he had enough sense to refrain from making any rash statements or decisions when he was so emotional. If there's one NFL player who knows his own mind, it's Rodgers. He'll make the decision when he's ready to. Until then, all we can do is guess.
