Aaron Rodgers‘ season is over, and it’s not a given that he’ll return for another. Still, amid all the uncertainty, Rodgers has already ruled out the possibility of staying in Green Bay if the team isn’t built to win in 2022.
“I don’t want to be part of a rebuild if I’m going to keep playing,” the 38-year-old quarterback said, via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky.
Rodgers is likely on the verge of capturing his fourth career and second straight MVP trophy. Unfortunately, he didn’t look the part on Saturday as the Packers lost to the 49ers with just 10 points on the board.
“I’m still super competitive, still know I can play at a high level, so it’s going to be a tough decision,” Rodgers said. “I have a lot of things to weigh in the coming weeks. But man, just so much gratitude for this city and this organization and such a long, long career here that I’m proud of and really thankful for all the men and women that work here, the men I’ve gotten to cross paths with, coaches and players over the years.”
To the surprise of no one, head coach Matt LaFleur later confirmed that the team wants Rodgers back for the 2022 season. Rodgers, meanwhile, says he’ll make the call sometime before free agency. Of course, the future Hall of Famer is still under control for another season, but that conversation will dictate the course of the Packers’ offseason.
The Packers are already projected to be over the salary cap by approximately $45M — and that’s without a potential tag or extension for star wide receiver Davante Adams. With a serious numbers crunch looming, Rodgers isn’t particularly optimistic about what the future will bring.
“This thing is definitely going to look different moving forward in Green Bay,” Rodgers said, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
On the plus side, Rodgers says that his relationship with GM Brian Gutekunst and the rest of the front office has improved, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, which is a big step up from where things were this time last year.
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