NFL Trade Rumors: 3 reasons for Aaron Rodgers to not retire just yet

Aaron Rodgers is currently weighing his options. He can either give in and play the remainder of his career with the Green Bay Packers, opt-out for the season while citing Covid-19, continue to hold out, or retire.

For those seriously thinking that Aaron Rodgers is about to retire, they need to think about these facts. Here are three reasons why Aaron Rodgers is not ready for retirement just yet.

Why Aaron Rodgers will stick around

#1 - Age

Aaron Rodgers will be 38 years old this season. While 38 years old may have been past the cutoff for quarterbacks 20 years ago, it is only the beginning of the end now. Tom Brady will be 44 years old this season. Ben Roethlisberger is 39 years old. Drew Brees retired at 42 years old. Aaron Rodgers could still have another three to five years ahead of him.

Lastly, Aaron Rodgers has been openly thinking about playing until he is 40 years old or longer. While he is clearly closer to the end of his career than the beginning, he still has plenty of gas in the tank. Most players in other positions are halfway through their careers when there are five years left.

In the NFL, five years is eons. Five years ago, Cam Newton and the Denver Broncos were in the Super Bowl. Today, both are shells of their former selves. Put simply, Aaron Rodgers has plenty of time.

#2 - Retirement would be a stain

At Aaron Rodgers' age, one of the biggest things on his mind should be legacy. What kind of memory does he want to leave? Does he want to be remembered as one of the best quarterbacks of all time? If so, retirement in this negative fashion would damage that perception.

Aaron Rodgers. Hail Mary KING. 👑 pic.twitter.com/vRntDpt0a0

— NFL UK (@NFLUK) June 26, 2021

If Aaron Rodgers were to retire now, after back-to-back NFC Championship appearances with a team that still wants him, it would look bad. Essentially, Aaron Rodgers would be the kid taking his ball and going home.

This would leave a stain on his legacy in a similar way to how Andrew Luck's sudden retirement was received. However, Rodgers' would be worse because he is perfectly healthy.

#3 - Big accomplishments on the horizon

According to the leaderboard on Pro Football Reference, Aaron Rodgers is only a season or two away from breaking into top spots in two of the most important statistical categories in the NFL. He only needs 230 more yards to pass John Elway as the quarterback with the 10th-highest career passing yards of all time.

If the next few seasons are great for Aaron Rodgers, he could even break into the top five of all time. He is about 12,000 yards behind Phillip Rivers in 5th place. With three more seasons at 4,000 yards per season, he could eclipse him by the start of the 2024 season.

Brett Favre (second from left)

With only 97 more touchdown passes, Aaron Rodgers would pass his old mentor Brett Favre in total career touchdown passes. It would land him in fourth place on the all-time list.

If Rodgers were to put together three more seasons of great quarterback play, he could also accomplish this in only a few years. One could only imagine what that accomplishment could mean for Rodgers.