Despite slogging through one of the worst full campaigns of his career in 2022, Aaron Rodgers appears set on returning for a season in which he’ll turn 40 years old. We just don’t know who he’ll be playing for yet.
The fact the future Hall of Famer is likely to return isn’t a surprise. He’s a year removed from claiming back-to-back regular season MVP awards. He’s also got $144 million left in obligations coming his way as part of the fully guaranteed, three-year $150 million restructured contract extension he signed with the Green Bay Packers last spring. He can either close the lights on his career following a home loss to the Detroit Lions or he can return to football, pad his legacy and earn a boatload of money doing so.
His return, however, may not come with the only franchise for which he’s ever played.
Per sources. Aaron Rodgers and the Jets had conversations today. While nothing is imminent Rodgers is open to the idea of going to NY
— trey wingo (@wingoz) March 7, 2023
Rodgers may not want to return to Green Bay. Green Bay may not want him back. There’s a world where all this works out peacefully, a win-win situation that slides a future Hall of Famer to a new team and starts the Jordan Love era off in Wisconsin with a little salary cap breathing room and some draft assets. But that doesn’t feel like the world Rodgers lives in.
Instead, Rodgers carries himself like a high school acquaintance you only know from vague Facebook posts. He’s the busy aunt who declares their life a “drama-free zone” while instigating and escalating whatever issues can be found. He feigns disgust over the continually burning NFL media cycle while stoking the flames with updates about his personal life, revealing just enough create interest and carefully leaving space to control his narrative.
This latest round seems familiar, but it’s different. It isn’t a darkness retreat or a clarified butter cleanse or a new relationship. This is a move that will change the fortunes of at least two NFL franchises and possibly alter the landscape of the league for years to come.
In other words, Rodgers is sitting on actual news this time around. He knows this. He understands the power he wields in a stretch where teams are devising battle plans for free agency and the draft. He knows he’ll be the genesis of breathless speculation through the lulls in offseason action. And when real news is taking place — whether that’s big name signings or trades or even the roar of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament — he knows he can trump it all by announcing his future.
In that regard, it doesn’t really matter what Rodgers’ decision is. At this point, he’ll get his own line item on the ticker of ESPN even if he says he needs more time to think. He’ll downplay his decision, “aw shucks” it for a while and maybe even criticize the coverage when he shows up on Pat McAfee’s podcast to talk about how excited he is about the new chapter in his career. But ultimately he’s fully aware of the impact he has, because he’s a wizard when it comes to commanding attention — a trait compounded and boosted by the fact he is, indeed, extremely good at football.
Rodgers appears receptive to a move to the New York Jets. The Jets, having either demurred at Derek Carr’s price tag or opted not to sign the former Raider, have a massive need at quarterback and the kind of roster capable of giving Rodgers a Tom Brady-esque last ride. The Packers need of salary cap relief, have a young quarterback waiting in the wings and may be getting dizzy from orbiting around their undisputed star for the last 15 years. They could opt to make a move that makes more sense than “traded away the MVP from two seasons ago” suggests.
Whatever the outcome, Rodgers will play it cool and coy and slyly revel in a spotlight that shines as long as he lets it. He fully understands the power he wields at the moment. When the time is right, he’ll unleash a media tsunami — all while pretending it’s no big deal.