Aaron Rodgers Now Being Peppered With Retirement Questions

GREEN BAY--Packers backup quarterback Aaron Rodgers was bombarded with questions about his eventual retirement on Monday following his team’s victory over the San Diego Chargers, which featured another strong performance by starter Brett Favre.

Rodgers responded to the question by saying he “honesty didn’t know.”

“I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do,” said Rodgers, who was drafted in 2005 as the heir apparent to Favre. “It’s really something I’m going to have to sit down and talk to my family about. There are a lot of things to consider. Obviously the way the team is playing is a big factor. The way I feel at the end of the year will be a big factor. The moves the team makes in the offseason will be another big factor. But the biggest factor of all will be when Brett decides to retire. If he doesn’t do it soon I’m probably going to have to retire myself. I can't do this forever. I'm getting up there. ”

Still, the press was not satisfied with Rodgers answer and pressed him further.

“Guys I already answered the question,” he responded. “I’d like to stay. I still feel like I have a lot of football left in me, but the question is, will I get the opportunity. Only time will tell. All I can say is I’ve had a great career here in Green Bay and I just want to thank all the fans for supporting me. A part of me will always be a Green Bay Packer. But not a particularly large part.”

Rodgers also refused to speculate on whether he’d consider playing for another team before retiring.

“I don’t know. I really haven’t even thought about that,” said Rodgers. “I’ve never really envisioned myself in another uniform. Is it possible? Sure, it’s possible. It could happen. But it would have to be a situation where I was guaranteed a winning environment. Or at least an environment where I can play. I’d settle for that. Or maybe even an environment where I was the backup to somebody other than the NFL's goddamn iron man.”

Three years ago, Rodgers was being groomed to take over the starting job when Favre made his inevitable exit. That seems like a long time ago now.

“I remember back when I was drafted, I was expected to be the next starter,” Rodgers recalled. “Then Brett decided to stay for another year. Then another. Then he had a ‘career resurgence.’ Who saw this coming? I sure as hell didn’t. I thought Brett would be riding off into the sunset and I’d be taking over a shit team. Instead I ended up sitting on the bench NOT being mentored by anybody. I’m not bitter, though. This has been a great experience for me. It's just had nothing to do with playing football.”

As for Favre, he has embraced Mike McCarthy’s cautious, conservative approach to managing the offense, and now says he can play “indefinitely.” For now, the retirement questions have stopped.

“If things keep going the way they’re going, I can play indefinitely,” Favre said after Sunday’s win. “I feel rejuvenated. I feel refreshed. I feel like I’m probably a better quarterback now than I was ten years ago just because the game has slowed down for me so much. You know who the game has really slowed down for? Aaron Rodgers. It’s ground to a halt for him. Still, he just has to hang in there and he’ll get his shot eventually. If I’m proving anything, it’s that you can play this position until you’re an old man.”

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