Aaron on the side of caution.
Free-agent quarterback and four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers kept his future plans a mystery during a Thursday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” saying that he remains undecided and is in a holding pattern for any major decisions on the 2025 NFL season.
“I’m open to anything,” Rodgers said, “and attached to nothing.”
In his first public media appearance since January, Rodgers said retirement remains on the table after a 20-year career. He is also not closing the door on the Pittsburgh Steelers as a possible destination. In short, a week from the start of the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay Wisconsin, Rodgers does not know what he is planning on doing, or at least, he is not yet ready to make anything public.
The 41-year-old Rodgers on Thursday cited “personal matters” as a reason he is taking his time on any decisions on whether to play football next season. He also noted that he is in a “serious relationship” and has some personal commitments that are his priority at this time.
“I have a couple people in my inner, inner circle who are battling some difficult stuff. So, I have a lot of things that are taking my attention and have since the beginning of January away from football,” Rodgers said. “That’s where I have been focusing most of my attention on. To make a commitment to a team is a big thing, whether you are a first-year player or a 20-year vet.”
The team he has been linked to most throughout this process has been the Steelers. Rodgers quietly met with the Steelers on March 21 and a week later he participated in a throwing session with newly acquired Pittsburgh receiver DK Metcalf at UCLA.
“I wanted to do due diligence with this whole process. Part of it is talking to a guy like DK,” Rodgers said. “Let me just say this, what a great dude. What a great dude. He loves football. What a specimen this guy is.”
The Steelers currently have only Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson on the roster at quarterback going into the draft, which begins April 24. Rodgers said the Steelers have not given him a hard deadline for a decision and that he wanted “to keep the lines of communication open” with the organization.
“This entire time I haven’t felt like I owed anybody some sort of decision at any point,” he said. “This is my life. I said things are different now. My personal life is different. I have stuff in the inner circle, that I’m intimately close to, that’s really important to me.
Embed from Getty Images“I’ve been upfront with them about that, and said, ‘Listen, if you need to move on. If you need to do something, by all means. By all means.’ Nothing but love and respect if that’s the decision that needs to be made. There’s been no deadline. I’ve talked to [Steelers head coach] Mike [Tomlin] many times.'”
Rodgers also did not rule out possibly playing for another team, indicating that money was not the number one issue.
“I’ve been straight up with these teams from the start about where I was at,” he said. “Starting with the money thing, I told every single one of the teams that I was talking to that it ain’t about the money. I’ll play for ($10 million per season). I don’t care.
“I never once said I need a multi-year deal or $30 or $40 million is actual b——. I said, I’ll play for 10.”
Rodgers balked at the notion that he has not given the teams he has met with, including the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, a clear picture of his personal issues and the timetable with which he is currently operating. From the onset of free agency, Rodgers said, he has been transparent with his priorities.
“I told them in March in the beginning, and you could ask any team that I talked to, that was the conversation,” Rodgers said. “But also, the conversation about where I was at in my personal life. The stuff that I’m dealing with off the field, in my inner circle that has to take my attention right now.
“So, I wasn’t stringing anyone along. I wasn’t holding anybody hostage. I was honest from the jump of where I was at mentally and some of the constraints I have in my life right now that warrant my attention. So, yeah, I’m open to anything and attached to nothing. So, yeah retirement could still be a possibility but right now my focus has been and will continue to be my personal life. That’s what I’ve told the coaches.”
One team that he will definitely not suit up for is the New York Jets. The signal caller painted a murky picture of a dysfunctional franchise during his past two years there and said his first meeting with new head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey did not go as expected.
After flying across the country from his home in Malibu, California, for the face-to-face meeting, Rodgers said he expected to meet with the new Jets leadership for “a few hours,” but the meeting ended abruptly when Glenn expressed to him that they were moving in a different direction at the position.
“I was kind of shocked,” Rodgers said. “Not shocked because I didn’t think that was a possibility. Listen, of course, if they want to move on, that’s fine. But shocked because I just flew across the country, and you could have told me this on the phone.”
Rodgers was understandably frustrated and annoyed with how that interaction played out. But during his 40-plus minute appearance with McAfee, Rodgers appeared content to play his NFL future by ear, at least until his personal issues are cleared up.
“I am trying to be open to everything and not being attached to anything,” he said.
