Green Bay Packers quarterback says there is still "no decision" on his future; Rodgers' Instagram post on Monday had raised speculation an announcement was imminent; Packers GM Brian Gutekunst says they have "no deadlines" for a decision
Wednesday 23 February 2022 20:10, UK
Aaron Rodgers says he has still not made up his mind over whether he will return to the Green Bay Packers for the 2022 NFL season.
Rodgers' Instagram post on Monday night thanking former and current team-mates and coaches had led to speculation an announcement on the quarterback's plans was imminent.
But the 38-year-old told The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday "there will be no news today, no decision on my future".
And on Wednesday, Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst said the organisation had "no deadlines" for a decision to be made. He added: "This has been more of a conversation about where we're headed together. This is a process we're going through, and a process he's going through. We've had really good conversations with Aaron."
Speaking after the 2021 NFL campaign had ended, Rodgers said he would not rule out retiring from the sport, requesting a trade or staying with the Packers for an 18th season.
Rodgers won his second straight MVP award last term and his fourth in total having also landed the prize in 2011 and 2014.
The Packers went 13-4 in the regular season and won a third straight NFC North title before losing 13-10 at home to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional playoffs.
Rodgers said: "There's not a lot to talk about football-wise and this will be a topic of conversation.
"But I am looking forward to making a decision and moving forward. I think it's best for me. It's best for the team. It's best for all parties involved. Let's just get this behind us."
Rodgers says he had a "free-flowing" and "honest" conversation with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst after also heading into the 2021 season with question marks about his future with the team.
"I'm definitely thankful for the work that he put in on the relationship," Rodgers said of Gutenkunst.
Rodgers also said he enjoyed positive conversations with head coach Matt LaFleur and executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball.
"It wasn't a one-way street. I knew that I had to grow as well," he added.
"I had to be more comfortable with those conversations, with being responsive to them in a super-timely manner, trying to find kindness in the adverse moments or difficult conversations we had.
"I feel like we all grew and had a good year of communication, had nice conversations after the season. I felt really good at how that got tied up before I left town."
Reflecting on his Instagram post, Rodgers added: "I just came out of a 12-day cleanse where you're eating a specific diet and you're going through these treatments every day and you're not really doing anything else.
"You've got to kind of turn everything else off, so you're not working out, you're not straining or anything. It not only heals you physically, but I think it takes away mental stress.
"The spiritual part, I think, allows you to kind of enjoy the meditations a little more, so when I come out, my first thought is intense gratitude for the people in my life."
Gutekunst said the Packers are also hopeful unrestricted free agent Davante Adams is with the organisation going forward. When asked about using the franchise tag to retain Adams at more than $18m for 2022, Gutekunst said he'd prefer to reach a long-term deal that works for both sides.
Getting that done might be even more improbable than keeping Rodgers content given Adams position that he wants to be the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL. DeAndre Hopkins of the Arizona Cardinals had the highest wideout salary of $27.25m in 2021.
The Packers are well over the projected salary cap of $208m for 2022, even after restructuring the contract of nose tackle Kenny Clark on Wednesday. Gutekunst professed he is "very confident" the Packers are in position to "compete for championships" with Rodgers and Adams. He said retaining the high-priced playmakers would not prevent the Packers from being competitive, or kick-start a fire sale.
That includes one valuable backup on the roster -- Rodgers understudy Jordan Love, a first-rounder in 2020. I would be very doutbful to take any of those calls," Gutekunst said of any trade offers for Love.
Asked to measure the worst possible outcome of losing Rodgers and Adams, Gutekunst said the Packers would still compete. "We're going to field a competitive team regardless. We're the Green Bay Packers," Gutekunst said. "We may have to do things different ways if those hypotheticals come into play."
