It’s been proven time and time again that we shouldn’t try figuring out what Green Bay Packers quarterback (and potential Jets target) Aaron Rodgers is thinking. I mean, he told us as much about a month ago.
"I'm not in my darkness retreat yet.. this thing has been planned for four months and it has always been the same dates" @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/DRwTEnNGgP
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 14, 2023
His inner circle is apparently pretty tight. Regardless of that, NFL insiders and reporters are trying to guess what the signal-caller is planning to do about his immediate future. Will he stay with the Packers? Would he green-light a trade? Or, will he just ride off into the sunset and retire?
Two league insiders specifically have decided to ignore what the four-time NFL MVP has said about others not knowing anything about his intentions. It’s happened over the past couple of days, too. First, it was ESPN’s Adam Schefter saying the following (via WFAN):
My sense is there continues to be more and more signs about him leaving Green Bay. And I think in the end, my sense is ultimately it will come down to whether he wants to play elsewhere, which would be really the New York Jets, or whether he wants to retire. To me, those are the two most logical options and the two most likely scenarios here. But again, we have not heard from Aaron Rodgers himself.
We have heard the Packers talk about Jordan Love and how much belief they have in him and how much progress he’s made. And I think he’s their quarterback of the future here, clearly. They continue to wait for the decision from Aaron Rodgers, who knows that at some point in time, he’s said the Packers have had conversations about him with other teams. And that’s why I believe that it’s going to either be the New York Jets or retirement in the end. And we’ll see how this shakes out, but there’s nothing yet from Aaron Rodgers. It has to come soon.
And then there’s NBC Sports’ Peter King, who has been tossing out some guesses about Rodgers himself. Here’s what he had to say in a recent Football Morning in America article regarding the veteran QB market:
The QB dominoes should start falling this week. Best guesses from my GM crowd-sourcing: Derek Carr to the Saints, Aaron Rodgers no one knows, truly (but I’m guessing Jets), Lamar Jackson and Daniel Jones franchised, Jimmy Garoppolo being the beneficiary of some QB uncertainty sometime in March.
I don’t see the Raiders being in the Aaron Rodgers derby, if there is one.
It sounds like his guess regarding Derek Carr and the Saints is coming true if that’s worth anything.
Based on a recent report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler about Rodgers’ $58 million guaranteed salary for 2023, it sounds like other teams are still interested in the signal-caller. But, both Schefter and King think it’s going to be the Jets.
Will this be the week we finally hear Rodgers’ intentions for next season? Let’s hope so. It’s obviously a big decision he has to make, and it’s one he’s not taking lightly. You like to see that, but everyone would also like to see an answer by now.
Matt Musico can be reached at matt.musico@xlmedia.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @mmusico8.
