Aaron Rodgers will hold crunch talks with the Jets in the next 24 hours as he weighs up whether he has played his final game in the NFL.
The legendary quarterback made history on Sunday when he threw his 500th career touchdown in the Jets’ win over the Dolphins, and rumors are continuing to swirl about his future.
At the age of 41, the Super Bowl champion and four-time MVP may have played his final game, and he revealed that talks about his future are imminent.
‘I’m gonna get home and relax,’ he told Fox Sports in an interview on the MetLife field immediately after the game, before adding: ‘But I’m not going to hold anyone up.
‘I’ll have conversations tomorrow with the Jets to see what they’re thinking, and then we will make a decision before it gets too late in the offseason.’
Later, in his post-game press conference , Rodgers admitted he doesn’t know if anything ‘definitive’ will come from those initial talks with the Jets.
Aaron Rodgers waves goodbye to fans as he leaves the field for perhaps the final time
Rodgers revealed he will hold talks with the Jets in the next 24 hours over his NFL future
‘But I just need some time to think about my future in the game and my future here,’ he continued.
‘If they want me to be a part of the next phase or if they’re ready to move on, either way, I’m thankful for my two years here… I won’t be upset or offended whatever they decide to do.
‘If they want to move on, if I still want to play. And if not, I’ll let them know at some point, if that’s the case.’
He added: ‘I honestly don’t know (if I’ll be here next season). If I did, I don’t know if I would tell you… but truthfully, I don’t know.’
The quarterback confirmed he would consider playing for another team, should he and the Jets decide to part ways.
‘I’ve done it once,’ he said, referencing his move to New York after nearly two decades with the Green Bay Packers.
‘Obviously, there’s a lot of hypotheticals, so if I want to play, hypothetical No 1. If they want to move on, hypothetical No 2. Would I be willing to play for another team, hypothetical No 3. The answer is yes.’
Rodgers added: ‘I know I can still play. I know I can still do the things I need to do to be successful. It just comes down to the desire on their side. And then ultimately, my desire to play… I have to take some time – mentally and physically – to rest and relax.’
Rodgers threw four touchdowns as the Jets ended a woeful season with a win against Miami
The 41-year-old insisted this situation was different to his departure from Green Bay, when he considered retirement before joining the Jets.
‘I knew in 2022 that my time was done in Green Bay. I just felt like it was time for all of us. It was unsaid… but it was understood, I think by all of us,’ he explained.
‘I needed to figure out whether I still had the desire to play or not. Whether I could get the love for the game back. I have tremendous love for the game now. I don’t feel that. So I can’t say that it feels was anything like that.’
Rodgers is in no rush to decide his future, especially so soon after the end of the season.
‘I had a few few hugs in the locker room, a few emotional moments with some people I really care about. But it’s not great to make emotional decisions about anything in life,’ he said.
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