Aaron Rodgers completely rewrites his retirement timeline

Following the 2022 NFL season, former Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers announced his plans to contemplate retirement at a darkness retreat. Rodgers stepped into the darkness as a Packer, but he stepped out of it with the New York Jets. Rodgers wrote the script for triumphant redemption in New York, complete with confetti and adulation. The four-time NFL MVP had hopes of guiding the Jets out of their own darkness, but he had barely begun writing his chapter in franchise history when the book was slammed shut. Four plays into his Week 1 debut, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles tendon that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2023 NFL season.

Rodgers seems determined to write a few more chapters of his NFL journey, which might mean rewriting his original anticipated career trajectory.

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers suggests he could play up to ‘four more years’

When Rodgers arrived at MetLife Stadium, the public perception was that he would play one or two more seasons. After all, he was "90 percent retired" last February. Just one year later, Rodgers is entertaining the idea of playing for another four years.

Rodgers revealed his updated retirement timeline while discussing his rehab process on the "Look Into It Podcast with Eddie Bravo."

"I'm hopeful I can play two or three or four more years," Rodgers said. "But you need to have some good fortune in there too."

The 40-year-old quarterback made his clear that he intends to return for the 2024 season, but his future beyond that season has been uncertain. Although Rodgers mentioned a goal of playing for another two seasons in December, he has never hinted at a possibility of playing for another four years.

If Rodgers manages to play another four years, that would mean he'd play through the 2027 NFL season. He would be 44 years old by the end of that season.

Historically, quarterbacks have peaked at 29. While quarterbacks only get sharper mentally in their final years, their bodies begin to deteriorate. In the past, quarterbacks made up for the diminishing physical gifts by capitalizing on their wealth on knowledge, but the physical demands of football eventually outweigh all else. With advancements in medicine and new rules shield that shield quarterbacks, longevity is likely due to see a rise.

In the past couple of seasons, Rodgers has shown a few concerning signs that may suggest decline. Still, he made a remarkable recovery from his Achilles injury and returned to the practice field within three months of having surgery. However, he did not return to the field since the Jets were eliminated from postseason contention.

"I got back on the practice field late in the season and couldn't get to a top speed sprinting, but really been in a good place, rehab-wise, from the start, and feeling really good," Rodgers said.

Rodgers will need a new contract from the Jets if he plans on following in Tom Brady's footsteps and playing into his mid-40s. The 2024 NFL season is the second year of the three-year, $112.5 million contract he signed with New York in April.