Rodgers: Green Bay ‘Always Going To Be Home’

Aaron Rodgers' upcoming darkness retreat could shed some light on his football-playing future.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t provide any insight into his football-playing future during his Tuesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.

The one football nugget came near the end of their all-over-the-map, 40-minute conversation, which included detours into Jeffrey Epstein, a fear of heights and sharks, and the abundance of mysterious objects suddenly spotted floating across the country.

A.J. Hawk, one of McAfee’s co-hosts and a former Rodgers teammate, asked Rodgers if he’d return to the show next season “when you’re playing for the Packers.”

Rodgers’ response?

“Eighteen years, man. That’s always going to be home.”

"18 years man.. Green Bay is always gonna be home" ~ @AaronRodgers12#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/9lHz9evNMk

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 14, 2023

Rodgers was drafted in the first round by the Packers in 2005 and has been their starter since the 2008 season. He’s won one Super Bowl and four MVPs during a Hall of Fame-worthy career that might have hit a crossroads following an 8-9 season.

When he walked off the field following a season-ending loss to Detroit last month, it might have been his last game with the Packers. Or his last game altogether. His upcoming darkness retreat could shed some light on what’s next.

Contrary to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Rodgers had not started the four-day retreat. That would start later this week.

The retreat – and some disparaging opinions about it – went viral after last week’s appearance on McAfee.

“Totally understand any of those thoughts but, ultimately, those are projections and those have way more to do with the people making those statements than me. It doesn’t stick to me, it doesn’t bother me. It gives me more love and empathy for those people. I think we all could use a dose of turning our phone off once in a while and unplugging from society.

“Some people don’t want to do a few days and nights in darkness, and that’s fine, but to just out and out judge it like you have any understanding of it, not exactly a way to … connect better as people who come from all different walks of life and backgrounds and parts of the country and parts of the world. We’re all just trying to our best on the journey. For me, these are things that work for me.”

Rodgers said he did a lot of research before scheduling the retreat a few months ago.

“It’s wrapping your head around the silence and dealing with your thoughts and everything that comes with the isolation and the darkness,” he said. There is an open door and light switches if the dark is too much to handle. “The design is to sit in those tough moments.”

Rodgers said there was no specific plan of what he’d be thinking about – football included – during the four days.

“It’s more surrender to whatever thoughts come through,” he explained. “Some of my favorite meditations have been how can I slow the mind down. As I slow the mind down, then the desires of my heart can come to mind.”