No decision has been made from the player’s side, but the Green Bay Packers are gaining some confidence in the return of quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2022.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Rodgers spent several days in Green Bay discussing the team’s future with Matt LaFleur and the team’s leadership following the Packers’ playoff departure last weekend, giving the team a sense of “cautious optimism” that Rodgers will return in 2022.
Rodgers, 38, is taking some time away to weigh his options after the Packers were bounced from the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round. A number of factors will go into the decision, including his commitment to playing, the team’s future and the team’s plan to keep the roster intact for another run.
Rodgers is expecting to have a decision within the next four or five weeks, given the timeline of free agency and how many pending free agents in Green Bay that need to make a decision on their own futures.
Rodgers, who will likely win his second straight NFL MVP award next week, threw 37 touchdown passes and just four interceptions while leading the league in passer rating in 2021. He has three options moving forward: retire, return to Green Bay, or ask for a trade to play elsewhere in 2022.
If Rodgers returned to Green Bay, the Packers would likely attempt to do everything in their power – given the salary cap situation – to put a team around him capable of competing for a Super Bowl in 2022.
The question now becomes: Did the Packers map out a future attractive enough for Rodgers to come back for at least another year, or will the allure of retirement or the chance to get a fresh start elsewhere pull Rodgers away from Green Bay?
