For the second consecutive offseason, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers considered retirement as a legitimate option before returning to Green Bay.
Pat McAfee of “The Pat McAfee Show” joined ESPN’s “Get Up” on Thursday morning and discussed the timeline of Rodgers’ return, and he confirmed the four-time NFL MVP contemplated the idea of retiring from the game.
“Retirement was a very real consideration for him,” McAfee said.
Rodgers meditated on the idea of leaving football “for a long time” but eventually decided to return to the Packers, per McAfee, who was the first to report Rodgers’ decision.
Rodgers, who turns 39 in December, has won NFL MVP in back-to-back seasons but hasn’t been to the Super Bowl since the 2010 season.
Following the Packers’ playoff defeat in January, Rodgers said he would have to gauge his willingness to return and if he was ready to fully commit to doing everything necessary to prepare for an NFL season.
His options were returning to Green Bay, retiring from football or requesting a trade. After weighing his options, Rodgers picked the Packers.
Last offseason, Rodgers said retirement was “definitely something” he thought about during the summer before coming back to the Packers to start training camp.
“I was really working on myself, my own mental state throughout the summer and, at various points, deciding if I wanted to keep playing. But the fire still burns. And I wanted to be on the football team,” Rodgers said.
It appears the fire still burns.
Rodgers’ annual retirement contemplation will make his next contract with the Packers even more interesting. How will the team structure the deal? Will it include guaranteed money over many years?
Holding onto Jordan Love makes more sense if Rodgers is on a year-to-year basis in terms of wanting to continue playing football.
Then again, it’s also possible the threat of retirement has been used as a negotiating tactic for Rodgers, both last offseason and over the last month and a half.
