Rodgers Posts ‘Gratitude’-Filled Series of Photos on Instagram

Aaron Rodgers' lengthy post on Instagram came on the eve of what could be a major announcement.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On the eve of what could be a major announcement, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers posted a series of 10 photos on Instagram on Monday night.

The first was a quote from the Persian poet Rumi. “Gratitude is the wine for the soul. Go on. Get drunk.”

The last, taken before the 2021 game at Kansas City in which Rodgers was out with COVID, showed Randall Cobb on the left, a space where Rodgers would have stood in the middle, and Davante Adams on the right.

What did it mean? That Rodgers is going to retire? Or that he wouldn’t be anywhere without his friends? Perhaps only Rodgers knows.

Though maybe we’ll all know soon.

During the season, Rodgers was a weekly guest on The Pat McAfee Show. The show promised a “big guest” on Tuesday to kick off the “our 2022 NFL season.” McAfee has a lot of big guests but none are bigger than Rodgers.

During his last appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said he would be “respectful of the organization” because of all the important decisions that must be made this offseason. One of those key decisions is whether to use the franchise tag on Adams. Tuesday is the first day teams can use the franchise tag.

“One decision that will be upcoming will be obviously Davante and his future with the team,” Rodgers said. “There still is this thing called a franchise tag, which I don’t think ‘17’ wants the franchise. But that decision is in late February. I think that should be enough time to make a decision by then.

“I don’t want to put myself on a specific date,” Rodgers continued, “but I do want to be sensitive to Davante and many other guys who have decisions to make on their own futures. To drag it out past free agency would be disrespectful to the organization and to those guys, and that 100 percent will not happen.”

On Instagram, Rodgers expressed his gratitude for a number of people in his life. Among them are his “Friday Crew” that includes Cobb and David Bakhtiari.

“I loved every moment we got to spend together this year. Your love and support was overwhelming, and I cherish the friendships I have with each of you,” Rodgers wrote.

“To my teammates, past and current, you are the icing on the beautiful cake we call our job; football. [The] friendships that we have will transcend our collective time in this game and I am so thankful for the role that each of you have played in making my life that much better. I love you guys, and cherish the memories we’ve made.”

The Packers have made clear their hope that Rodgers returns as a centerpiece of the franchise. That desire starts at the top with team President Mark Murphy.

“A key factor will be whether Aaron Rodgers comes back for the 2022 season” Murphy wrote in his monthly Murphy Takes Five column. “Matt, Brian (Gutekunst), executive vice president/director of football operations Russ Ball and I are all in agreement that we want Aaron to come back. He is likely to win his fourth league MVP, is the unquestioned leader of our team and is still playing at a high level at 38.”

There's not a lot of gray area in the #Packers' decision with Aaron Rodgers.
With Rodgers, they've got a chance to win.
Without Rodgers, they've got a chance to hit reset.https://t.co/U1FuL01UAC

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) February 21, 2022