Tom Brady Shares Why He Hopes Aaron Rodgers Doesn’t Retire

It is still unknown whether the Packers quarterback will retire or play in 2023—and if it’s the latter, whether he will stay in Green Bay or head elsewhere.

Tom Brady rocked the sports world for a second year in a row when he announced his retirement—again. 

This time, it appears to be more permanent after he reportedly submitted the paperwork to the league and NFLPA, and the move left some wondering whether Aaron Rodgers will follow suit. The Packers quarterback has yet to publicly announce his plans, but Brady explained on his podcast, Let’s Go! with Tom Brady, Larry Fitzgerald and Jim Gray, why he hopes Rodgers won’t follow his footsteps into retirement. 

“You know what, I hope he doesn’t retire,” Brady said. “… I think the league needs good quarterbacks, and he’s one of the greats. So if he retires, it’ll be a sad day for the league.”

Rodgers has been open that he’s weighing whether to retire or continue playing, and if it’s the latter, whether he’ll stay with the Packers or head to another franchise for the first time in his career. Last March, he signed a four-year, $200 million extension, but his indecisiveness about his future could pose as a challenge if Green Bay trades the quarterback. 

“Aaron Rodgers’ year-to-year approach to playing could complicate trade talks for the Green Bay Packers, several execs say, because it’s hard to trade hefty capital for just one year of Rodgers,“ ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote before noting that “teams would prefer at least two seasons” with Rodgers.

Brady touched on how, all things considered, Rodgers still played well in 2022, throwing for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He did also deal with injuries this season: a broken thumb from Week 5 and his ribs from Week 12. Brady added, “And you could see as he got healthy throughout the year how incredibly talented he is.”

Rodgers is slated to appear on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday afternoon, the last edition before the show is on a break.