Aaron Rodgers suggested he'd consider leaving the Packers or retiring after being ousted from the playoffs
- Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were eliminated from the playoffs by the 49ers in a shocking upset.
- Rodgers told reporters that he'll weigh his future this offseason and if he wants to keep playing.
After a shocking upset at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs, Aaron Rodgers' future is up in the air.
Rodgers has an out from his contract this offseason. Rumors swirled much of last offseason that Rodgers wanted to play elsewhere.
Despite rumors of a trade demand, Rodgers ultimately returned to the Packers for the 2021 season and dominated. Perhaps the front-runner to win MVP for a second straight year, Rodgers threw for over 4,100 yards and 37 touchdowns to just 4 interceptions. His dominance helped the Packers go 13-4, win the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and earn a bye.
That all came crashing down on Saturday, as frigid conditions and the 49ers stout defensive front held the Packers to just 10 points. Rodgers completed 20 of 29 passes for 225 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Green Bay could not move the ball down the field on their final drive late in the fourth quarter and handed the ball over to the 49ers. San Francisco marched down field into field-goal range and nailed the game-winning kick as time expired to advance to the NFC Championship.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Rodgers said he was going to take time to think about his future.
"I did not think we'd be talking about this after this game," Rodgers said. "I'm going to take some time and have conversations with the folks around here and then take some time away and make a decision, obviously before free agency or anything kind of gets going on that front."
He later added: "There's a lot of decisions to be made. There's a lot of players whose futures are up in the air. Definitely will be interesting to see which way some of those decisions go. But I'll have conversations with [Packers GM Brian Gutekunst] the next week or so and get a little more clarity and think about my own future and how much longer I want to keep doing this."
Rodgers was asked specifically if he is unsure if he wants to continue playing football or if he wants to play for another team. Rodgers said the loss was still too "fresh" to think about his future, but said he'd "contemplate" in the coming weeks.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Packers enter the offseason $44 million over the salary cap. They have decisions to make on several key players, including wide receivers Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, tight end Robert Tonyan, and cornerback Kevin King.
Later in his press conference, Rodgers said he didn't want to take part in a rebuild — if he continues to play.
'"There's a lot of decisions to be made, and I don't want to be part of a rebuild if I'm going to keep playing."
Rodgers and the Packers have been on the cusp of a Super Bowl the last three seasons but haven't been able to get over the hump. They were blown out by the 49ers in the 2019 NFC Championship and lost a tight battle to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 NFC Championship.
This year's early loss marks a significant disappointment for a team that was favored to come out of the NFC. Rodgers said he had imagined making this year's Super Bowl and that this Packers team had what it took to win.
Rodgers told reporters that he was bracing for a shake-up.
"This thing is definitely going to look different moving forward in Green Bay."