After the Green Bay Packers fell short in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, emotions were understandably high throughout the locker room. And that couldn’t have been more clear when quarterback Aaron Rodgers suddenly added ambiguity to his Packers future.
Following the game, Rodgers told reporters that “a lot of guys’ futures, they’re uncertain, myself included.”
That was the kind of remark that predictably led to speculation on Monday about whether Rodgers — who is under contract with Green Bay for three more seasons — could still be on his way out.
Well, on Tuesday, Rodgers did his best to clear up exactly what he meant with those postgame comments.
"I don't feel like I said anything that I hadn't said before.. It was just more of a realization I think that ultimately my future is not necessarily in my control…
I don't think there's any reason I wouldn't be back"@AaronRodgers12 #PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/u1Qnjiugv6
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 26, 2021
In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers added more nuance to what he said after the game, clarifying that he does fully expect to be back with the Packers next season.
He said:
“I didn’t really see a whole lot until maybe yesterday, and then I realized there were some things swirling around. I don’t feel like I said anything that I hadn’t said before. I said it the first time I talked to the media. It was more a realization, I think that ultimately my future is not necessarily in my control. That just kinda hit me in the moment. I was thinking about Aaron Jones and Corey Linsley, other guys we have under contract … Guys I don’t know what their future’s gonna be, myself included.
“Now, obviously after the season that I had, potentially win an MVP and made another good run, I don’t think there’s any reason why I wouldn’t be back. But look, there’s not many absolutes, as you guys know, in this business. So to make an absolute statement about something that is not an absolute, I didn’t do it. And I guess that’s why it went kinda nuts.”
But there is an argument to be made that Rodgers should look to leave Green Bay. It just seems unlikely that he goes that route for now.
