Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers has played 21 NFL seasons with three different franchises. But he openly admits that he did not love the game like he once did before he met Mike Tomlin.
After nearly two decades with the Green Bay Packers and two tumultuous seasons with the New York Jets, Rodgers joined Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of last season. Now, as Rodgers prepares for what he has claimed is his final season in the league, he has opened up a bit about his career.
In a Saturday interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Pat Kirwan asked the future Hall of Fame quarterback how he can walk away from a game he loves. While Rodgers affirmed that he does indeed love the game, he also admitted that wasn’t always the case late in his career, until he played under Tomin.
“I do love it, yeah,” Rodgers said. “I’m also 42. I’ve played 22 years. I played three in college. I’ve never had a fall to myself. I want to start a family with my wife, you know? I think you just have to know when it’s time.
“And, you know, there’s been times in the last three offseasons where I felt like maybe it is time. But doors open, and I just tried to listen to the signs. I might have been listening to the wrong signs by going to New York, but it was a good learning experience, you know, and I learned a lot during that process, and I am thankful for that time there.
“And I’m thankful for last year with Coach Tomlin, because he helped me get that love back, that deep love back for the game. That, you know, tearing my Achilles and going through a year of rehab, and just never feeling like myself, it just kind of beats you up a little bit, and I didn’t want that to be my ending in the game that I love so much, and Mike and being around the guys, got me that love back, and I was content in walking away. And then they hired Mike McCarthy, and I was like, ‘Okay, maybe we need a full circle here, me and Mike need a full circle here.”
Rodgers will have one last “full circle” season this year before he ultimately walks away from the game. But now, there will be no doubt that he’s walking away from the game that he loves, and that would not have been the case a few years ago.
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