Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers admitted he considered retirement and noted his desire to have more influence in organisational decisions as he opened up on his offseason standoff
Thursday 29 July 2021 10:56, UK
A candid Aaron Rodgers discussed retirement, the return of Randall Cobb, his desire to have more influence in organisational decisions, and his future with the Green Bay Packers as he opened up on his offseason stand-off in a lengthy press conference on Wednesday.
The reigning NFL MVP side-stepped the scripted responses customary to training camp media sessions and instead used the opportunity to detail the reasoning for his frustration.
It was reported on the opening day of the NFL Draft that Rodgers had informed people within the organisation he did not intend on returning with the team for 2021, before the 37-year-old later skipped the Packers' entire offseason programme amid uncertainty over his future.
He admitted that retirement did come into consideration during his extended break.
"Yeah, that was definitely something I thought about," he told reporters. "I talked about how important being a full-timer was for a long time. This was the first time to spend the offseason away without a COVID year or a lockout year, and I enjoyed it. I really did.
"I took time working on myself and trying to better myself in a number of areas where I could improve based on my own patterns and conditioning. And it was a lot of growth in that process. In that process, I continued to find joy and happiness in things off the field.
"However, there's still a big competitive hole in my body that I need to fill, and as I got back into my workouts, I just realised that I know I can still play and I want to still play, and as long as feel I can give 100% to the team, then I should still play."
Speculation surrounding Rodgers' unrest leaned towards the Packers' decision to select quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and, in the process, once again passing on providing their Hall of Fame-bound quarterback with a first-round receiver.
The bottom line was in fact Rodgers' wish to have more of a say in personnel decisions behind the scenes, particularly when it came to the franchise parting with key culture players he had been close to during their time at Lambeau Field.
"This wasn't just a draft-day thing," he explained. "It started with a conversation in February, after the season ended. I just expressed my desire to be more involved in conversations directly affecting my job.
"Also, I wanted to help the organisation maybe learn from some of the mistakes in the past, in my opinion, about the way some of the outgoing veterans were treated, and just the fact that we didn't retain a number of players that I felt like were core players to our foundation, our locker room, high-character guys.
"I'm talking about Charles Woodson, Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers, Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb, James Jones, John Kuhn, Brett Goode, T.J. Lang, Bryan Bulaga, Casey Hayward, Micah Hyde, guys who were exceptional players for us but great locker room guys, high-character guys, many of them whom weren't offered a contract at all or were extremely lowballed or were in my opinion not given the respect on the way out that guys of their status and stature and high character deserved."
The Packers sought to meet the wishes of their prized asset on Wednesday by bringing back former wide receiver Randall Cobb via a trade with the Houston Texans, who collected a sixth-round draft pick in 2022 in return.
Rodgers added that stalling talks over an extension beyond 2021 was also a contributing factor, especially on the back of a season in which he led the NFL with 48 touchdown passes to just five interceptions and an unrivalled passer rating of 121.5.
On top of that, he also felt the Packers had overlooked his offer to play a leading role in luring potential free agent signings to the team.
"It kind of progressed from there into a commitment for the 2021 season and beyond," he said. "That really wasn't given at any time. So for me, I had to assess the situation, not necessarily wanting to be a lame-duck quarterback, especially after an MVP season, which I think you can understand. And then the other part, in February, was wanting to be a part of conversations involving free agents, which has never happened in my career. I've trained with a number of NFL guys most of my career in the offseasons.
"I think we can all understand Green Bay isn't a huge vacation destination. People come here to play with me, to play with our team, and know they can win a championship here. The fact I haven't been used in those discussions is something I wanted to change moving forward.
"And I felt like based on my years, the way I can still play, that that should be a natural part of the conversation. As that progressed from that point, nothing really changed on that front, so we got into March and the conversation changed, as I felt like if you can't commit to me past 2021 and I'm not part of your recruiting process in free agency, if I'm not a part of the future, then instead of letting me be a lame-duck quarterback, if you want to make a change and move forward, then go ahead and do it. That obviously didn't happen.
"Like I said, it wasn't a draft pick thing. There were conversations for a number of months leading up to that. Post the draft, I think what basically happened is they said, we'll give you some money now. Let's see if we can throw some money at you. I said from the start it wasn't about the money. Obviously, I didn't show up for the offseason program or minicamp. To me, it was bigger than this."
Rodgers explained that discussions over locking him in beyond 2021 did not begin until May, by which point his availability had peaked the interest of multiple teams across the league.
The sentiment sported similarities to that of a Tom Brady who wanted to be loved and wanted by the New England Patriots prior to his departure after 20 years with the organisation. His response was to go and win a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay; the Packers dare ponder what the outcome of a Rodgers exit might be.
Rodgers could not give a definitive answer regarding where he would be playing next year, and instead turned his undivided attention to 2021. He meanwhile noted that as far as he understood he would not have a say in where he would play next year, contrary to reports that a new deal for the upcoming year would give him that freedom in 2022.
Though bridges are yet to be rebuilt between him and the Packers brass, Rodgers reaffirmed his appreciation for a franchise he loves and has striven to succeed with.
"Based on the way the season went last year, there was nothing last season that made me confident that I'd be back after '21 and maybe even not after 2020," he said. "I thought we'd be progressing with those conversations, maybe a great commitment, during the offseason when it happened. But that's why I just have to focus on this season.
"I love this team, I love the fans, and the opportunity to play on Lambeau Field has been a dream come true. To be in my 17th season is special. I don't take that for granted. I'm not a victim here at all, I just want to reiterate that. I've been paid a ton of money by this organisation.
"I'm so thankful to be a starter here for my 14th season, not many guys have the opportunity to do that. So I don't feel like anything has been done to me here. It's a business. It's an incredible opportunity to play this game. But it's a tough business, too, though."
Asked if he wanted to be with the Packers right now, he replied: "I do, I do. I love my teammates. I love the city. I love my coaches. It is a lot of fun to be back here and like I said, I'm competitive and I realise the type of team that's in place here.
"It's a team that has a lot of talent on it. It's been close the last couple of years, so I'm definitely excited about this season. I've had a lot of great conversations over, I'd say, the last two weeks with various teammates past and present and that's definitely refueled the fire to go out and lead and perform at my best."
