Aaron Rodgers Rejects Idea He Doesn’t Want to Retire Alongside Tom Brady

The quarterback still has not made up his decision about playing next year.

With Tom Brady officially retired, Aaron Rodgers has become the biggest story of the NFL offseason. The Packers quarterback has to decide whether he will play in the NFL next season, and if so, whether he wants to stay in Green Bay or request a trade elsewhere.

Some have speculated that Rodgers will not want to retire the same year as Brady and JJ Watt stepped away, which would mean entering Canton on the same day as those two in five years. However, Rodgers stressed that he is not taking that into consideration.

“The idea that I wouldn’t want to share a stage with Tom and JJ Watt I think is ridiculous,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show. “Their decisions don’t impact my own decisions.”

"I have a ton of respect for Tom Brady and what he's accomplished.. it doesn't feel like there's gonna be a change of heart this time"@AaronRodgers12 shares his thoughts on @TomBrady retiring #PMSinAZ pic.twitter.com/0a553c0OmH

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 7, 2023

Rodgers added that he believes Brady is retired for good, but it’s probably “not the worst thing” for him to leave the door open to return. Rodgers said he thinks it’s tough for a player to know they are 100% done with football immediately after retiring, in case there is a unique opportunity to return that comes up.

This is the third straight year that Rodgers is contemplating retirement, and his thoughts on Brady’s retirement may be an insight into Rodgers’s future. Yet, Brady’s retirement in of itself doesn’t seem like it will impact Rodgers’s decision.