Aaron Rodgers hints retirement could come sooner than we thought

After the loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game, Aaron Rodgers made it seem like he’s open to retiring.

As you might imagine, Aaron Rodgers is absolutely dejected right now. The Green Bay Packers were favorites to take down Tampa Bay and head to the Super Bowl, but they suffered a disheartening 31-26 loss on Sunday.

When speaking with reporters after the final whistle, you could tell just how beaten up Rodgers was in defeat. On top of that, Rodgers, 37, sure made it sound like he’s open to hanging up his cleats and not returning to Lambeau Field next season. While players have these kinds of emotional responses after tough losses all the time, Rodgers’ words here are telling.

Aaron Rodgers sure made it sound like he’s considering retiring after Sunday’s loss

“I don’t know, I really don’t,” Rodgers said when asked about his future. “A lot of unknowns going into this offseason now. I am going to have to take some time away for sure and clear my head and see what is going on with everything, but it is pretty tough right now.”

Those are the words of a man who truly doesn’t know what he wants to do next year. Rodgers is coming off a remarkable 2020 for the Packers. In the regular season, he threw 48 touchdowns and powered the team to a 13-3 record, plus the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Behind his rocket for an arm, Green Bay’s offense was virtually unstoppable throughout the year. Unfortunately, Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Todd Bowles was able to get the job done twice again Rodgers and Green Bay this year, ending their campaign on Sunday.

Rodgers clearly has plenty left in the tank and would be one of the top signal-callers in the game in 2021 if he does return. Right now, however, whether or not that happens seems like it’s completely up in the air.