ESPN Reporters Tell Us What They Know About Aaron Rodgers' Future

What has recent news told us about what the former Cal star will do -- leave, stay, retire?

Let’s face it, nobody knows what former Cal star Aaron Rodgers will do, and Rodgers seems to like it that way.

Each word Rodgers has uttered in recent weeks is parsed for possible hints as to whether he will retire, stay with the Packers or move to another team. Are the Packers saying things simply for public consumption? Is Rodgers purposely making misleading comments to lead reporters astray?

Even reporters who cover Rodgers and the NFL for a living can only offer guesses at what Rodgers will do based on the information at hand.

ESPN NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano as well as ESPN Packers reporter Rob Demovsky offered their opinions on the factors and statements that might affect Rodgers’ decision.

We provide excerpts from what each said in the ESPN.com story:

Graziano:

He is image-conscious, so if he does want to leave, he'll have to find ways to set it up so he doesn't look like the bad guy. The team seems to be getting ahead of him on that, right?

Demovsky:

The Packers can't make it any clearer that they want Rodgers back. In fact, you might say they've gone overboard. You wonder if that was overkill and will tick off Rodgers.

But the Packers are taking the stance that they're not going to be the bad guys this time around, like many viewed them when Brett Favre briefly retired in 2008 and then decided he wanted to play again -- only to be rebuffed and traded to the Jets.

Fowler:

Rodgers wants to give Green Bay adequate time to plan, and receiver Davante Adams is a big part of those plans. That's why the franchise tag window (Feb. 22-March 8) looms large here. That seems to be the window.

Graziano:

We know Adams and Rodgers have talked about their plans to each other, but it's hard to know how aligned they are because we don't know where Rodgers will end up. . . . . if a team could trade for Rodgers and sign Adams, we'd be talking about "winning the offseason," would we not?

Demovsky:

And that team might also be winning the next regular season. But can Rodgers really win big in the playoffs anymore and get to another Super Bowl? It seems like it has been a while since he put together a sustained run of great play in the postseason.

Fowler:

Based on the Packers' tone, here's to thinking they are willing to take their chances with that postseason record if it means getting their MVP back. Where does all of this leave [Jordan] Love? From the outside, it's still uncertain what exactly the team has in him.

Demovsky:

That doesn't mean the Packers are ready to give up on [Love]. After all, Rodgers didn't show much until his third season as Favre's backup. If Rodgers leaves, don't be surprised if the Packers do what they did in 2008, when Rodgers took over. That year they drafted quarterbacks in both the second round (Brian Brohm) and seventh round (Matt Flynn).

Read the entire ESPN.com story to get all the comments from the reporters on the Rodgers’ situations as well as their thoughts on the status of Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Jimmy Garappolo and other quarterbacks.

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Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers by Jeff Schumacher, USA TODAY Sports

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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