Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday he’s expecting to become a member of the New York Jets.
The future of the Green Bay Packers quarterback has been a popular topic since his season ended with a loss to the Detroit Lions that eliminated Green Bay from the NFL playoff race.
Rumors have been swirling in recent weeks, ranging from the possibility of him returning to Green Bay, retiring, or being traded to another team.
Sunday, reports of a deal that was “essentially done” between the Packers and Jets surfaced, yet as of Wednesday, no deal has been completed.
Some reported that Rodgers’ possible retirement was holding up the deal, but Rodgers dispelled those rumors as he joined the Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday.
“Since Friday, I made it clear that my intention was to play and play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers told McAfee and cohost AJ Hawk. “I haven’t been holding up anything. At this point, it’s all been compensation that the Packers are trying to get for me.”
Rodgers went on a “darkness retreat” to contemplate his playing future for five days and four nights in February and described how the process helped him.
“The darkness gave me a lot of time to contemplate everything. It was a great reset for me, for my body, and for my mind,” he told the show.
He went on to say that he entered the retreat leaning toward retirement, but the situation changed when he learned from friends around the league that Green Bay was looking to move him.
“I got to admit; I went into the darkness 90% retiring. That’s where my mind was,” Rodgers said.
“Where I was at, mentally [during the season], was this would be a great transition into the next chapter of my life. We were still in it, still kind of trending. The dream is you finish things out. You win the Super Bowl and then go into the darkness and into retirement. That’s kind of the transition.”
But Rodgers and the Packers came up short of the playoffs in the season’s final game.
“We got bounced and didn’t make the playoffs, so it was [about] getting away from the season, the frustration, [and] the emotion,” he explained. “Just allowing myself to contemplate retirement and coming back to playing and what that looks like, and I’m really thankful for that time in the darkness.”
“I was interested in where they would be at mentally,” Rodgers added, “and everything I was told in Green Bay was ‘Take as long as you want, and we want you to retire a Packer.”
After he emerged from his time in the darkness, Rodgers realized his time in Green Bay was finished, and the Jets soon came calling.
“I heard from some people around the league who I trust that there was some shopping going on, that they were interested in actually moving me,” he revealed. “I shifted my focus to entertaining what playing could look like, and the Packers granted permission for the Jets to come out and visit.”
“We had a nice conversation,” Rodgers explained. “I told them, ‘Listen, I’m not ready to make a decision on anything. I want to get back into my workouts and see how it feels to really hit it hard for a week and see if the drive and the passion is still there and then we’ll see where we’re at.”
“I just think I wish that had been the conversation from the beginning because I love direct communication,” the quarterback admitted. “But there’s no malice, no bitterness toward the Packers.”
“I’ve just been focused on working out and taking care of business out here… At this point, it’s my intention to play for the Jets, but I’m still under contract with the Packers.”
“Because I still have that fire, and I’d still like to play, and I would like to play in New York; it’s just a matter of getting that done.”