After a 17-year career, the Green Bay Packers announced the retirement of long-time kicker Mason Crosby on Wednesday. Crosby spent 16 of his 17 seasons with the Packers (2007-22) and one with the New York Giants (2023) before sitting out last season.
Seeing Crosby return to Green Bay as he retires makes one think of another long-time Packer who is currently estranged from the team that drafted and developed him: Aaron Rodgers.
After two failed years in New York with the Jets, Rodgers is looking for a new team with very few options on the table. This Crosby story almost feels like a writing on the wall alert for Mr. Rodgers. There aren’t too many who still want him in the neighborhood, it seems. The Jets’ new regime of head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey notified Rodgers quickly that his services would no longer be needed.
Aaron Rodgers needs to take Mason Crosby's lead with the Packers
However, returning to Green Bay only to retire is the last thing Rodgers wants and is trying his best to avoid. But it feels like we’re getting close to that potentially being Rodgers’ only option. There was talk of the LA Rams being interested in Rodgers but once Matthew Stafford decided to stay put, that notion evaporated. The other New York team (Giants) has been tossed around but Schefter doesn’t seem to think that’ll play out in A-Rod’s favor either.
"So where are we now with Aaron Rodgers?” Schefter questioned. “And the one spot would be the New York Giants, but the New York Giants, I think, are probably looking at Russell Wilson, Sam Darnold, other options. So the Giants are not a lock for Aaron Rodgers. They're in play, but they're not a lock.
"So if it's not New York, where is it? I don't see Aaron Rodgers in Indianapolis or Cleveland or Tennessee. I don't know that I see him in Las Vegas. And there are not an abundance of options. Aaron Rodgers' best option may just be to wait and see if there's a quarterback injury, a quarterback issue, a quarterback situation that we don't see today on March 6th that could materialize on March 16th or April 16th."
It sure would be some stroke of karma if Rodgers was forced to sit out the 2025 NFL season or wait until right before the season to sign with a team. Crosby sat out last season and has now announced his retirement from the game. It would be wild to watch as Rodgers gets passed over for younger, better talent subsequently being ushered back to Green Bay and forced into retirement.
Sure, it sounds a bit farfetched or premature, but that’s the road we could be head down.