Aaron Rodgers remains unsigned more than a month after free agency began. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Luke Hales via Getty Images)
Aaron Rodgers wanted to set the record straight. But there were no hard answers about his future.
During an appearance Thursday on “The Pat McAfee Show,” on which he’s a paid regular guest, Rodgers said he is dealing with personal matters with members of his inner circle and that is a reason he has not made a decision on whether he’ll play in 2025.
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Rodgers said he has been upfront about what is going on with the teams he has talked to.
“Retirement could still be a possibility but right now my focus will be on my personal life, and that’s what I’ve told the coaches,” Rodgers told McAfee.
He did say he wasn’t waiting around for the Minnesota Vikings because he wants to play there, which has been rumored.
“That’s not accurate either,” Rodgers said.
He talked about wanting to set the record straight and said many of the reports and rumors have been false. He did say he has told teams he’d play for $10 million, which is far below the market for a starting quarterback. He said that he hasn’t been “stringing anybody along.”
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“I have a lot of things that are taking my attention, and have, beginning in January, away from football,” Rodgers said. “That’s where I’ve been focusing most of my attention on. Making a commitment to a team is a big thing.”
Rodgers didn’t rule out playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers — he said he tried to keep his meeting with the Steelers a secret, even flying into a different airport, but the word got out anyway — or anyone else in 2025, though he wasn’t pressed on the Steelers possibility by McAfee.
Rodgers did say that his exit from the Jets didn’t go smoothy. He flew across the country to meet with the Jets and he said after 15 seconds new Jets general manager Darren Mougey asked if he was interested in playing this season, then was told the Jets were moving on without him. Rodgers said he planned for a long meeting and it took about 15 minutes.
“I was kind of shocked,” Rodgers said. “Not shocked because I didn’t think that was a possibility. But shocked because I flew across country and you could have told me this on the phone.”
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Based on Rodgers’ interview, the wait on what he’ll do will continue for a while.
There hasn’t been an update on Rodgers’ plans in weeks. The Steelers themselves haven’t heard from Rodgers since a March 21 meeting, CBS’ Aditi Kinkhabwala reported.
Rodgers’ options became more limited as he waited to make a decision. The Minnesota Vikings were reported to be a preferred destination, and although the Vikings had discussions with him they ultimately decided to not pursue him.
That seemed to leave the Steelers or retirement as the two main options. The Steelers were looking for a quarterback and did make the playoffs last season. If Rodgers wanted to keep playing, not many teams had an opening, and the teams with shaky quarterbacks situations weren’t obvious playoff contenders in 2025.
Even though Rodgers to the Steelers was the obvious match, the situation has dragged on through the past few weeks without a strong indication of how it might resolve. There’s still no resolution after Rodgers tried to clear things up.
This news was originally published on this post .
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