Four days into NFL free agency, Aaron Rodgers still hasn’t signed with a team. The New York Jets officially released him on Wednesday, and he appears to be taking his time as he ponders which uniform he will wear this fall. The Pittsburgh Steelers are considered to be the favorites to sign the future Hall of Fame quarterback, but the New York Giants are still rumored to be an option. There is also always the chance he follows in the footsteps of fellow former Green Bay Packers legend Brett Favre and joins the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers’ bitter NFC North rivals.
However, according to Nick Brinkerhoff of USA TODAY, there is another option for Rodgers: retirement. “While the New York Giants are still rumored to be an option, this is beginning to feel like Pittsburgh-or-retirement for Rodgers if the Minnesota Vikings don’t come calling,” Brinkerhoff wrote.
“The Steelers can offer Rodgers a chance to win in 2025. While he’s notoriously someone that enjoys being in the spotlight, this offseason feels different. Rodgers looked like someone playing his final NFL game in Week 18 for the Jets. He finished it off with a win and some good friends by his side.
The last two years didn’t go according to plan and everything seems to point towards retirement being a real possibility. Remember, he was 90% retired before the famous darkness retreat. For a guy that has essentially seen and done it all at the NFL level, it wouldn’t be shocking if that was it.”
On one hand, it may not be shocking if Rodgers calls it a career at this point. While the Steelers have improved by trading for wide receiver D.K. Metcalf and could also possibly add former All-Pro wideout Cooper Kupp, it’s very unlikely he could elevate them to a Super Bowl championship.
The same is likely true for the Vikings, even though they went 14-3 and nearly won the NFC North last season. However, Rodgers is a very prideful man, and after he failed to reach the playoffs in his two seasons with the Jets (he missed nearly all of his first season due to a torn Achilles), one has to figure he doesn’t want to end his storied career on that type of poor note. Like many great athletes, he is a bit of an enigma, and one has to wonder what he will do next
