"Retirement was a very real consideration" - Pat McAfee claims Aaron Rodgers was unsure about NFL future

Podcast host Pat McAfee was on the ESPN morning show Get Up to discuss Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The eponymous host of The Pat McAfee Show stated that the Green Bay quarterback was not confident about his future in the NFL and that retirement was an option for Rodgers.

McAfee said:

"I think what was being talked about that hasn't been chatted about is that retirement was a very real consideration for him and then whenever the announcement from Ian Rapoport that you guys blasted all over your headlines and everything that it's a four-year $200 million deal. I followed up with my source and asked if that was real and that deal offered to my source but in the end, he inevitably said that that is not what he was in this for. He was never in this for if you watched any of the conversations that he had with us over the last two years, every single Tuesday, he would sit here for an hour 45 minutes during his two MVP runs back-to-back MVP runs, and all those describing this entire thing is a money grab is a direct shot against who the human he is right now. He's a hippie, he's super lovey. He loves the universe he's in and and he just wanted to find out what the best decision was for him”.

McAfee concluded his statement by saying that a source told him that Rodgers had contemplated retirement for a long time, and there were moments of him doing something completely different:

"There was retirement thoughts considerations, I was told by my source that he meditated on that thought about that for a long time. And inevitably, he's going to go back to the Green Bay Packers on a cap friendly deal, hopefully get a lot of pieces around him that he loves and he enjoys and make another run at this thing for the Green Bay Packers but I don't think it was a clear concise decision. The entire way. I think there was multiple days where he thought about doing something vastly different than going back to the Pack."

Aaron Rodgers and his return to the Packers

Chicago Bears v Green Bay Packers

The quarterback took to Twitter to announce his return for his 18th season with the Packers:

Rodgers is the franchise’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns (449) and second to Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre in passing yards (55,360). He led the Packers to a victory in Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The quarterback won Super Bowl MVP honors, throwing for 304 yards and three touchdowns.

The four-time All-Pro will be under center for the 2022 season, looking to help the Packers win another Lombardi Trophy, the second of his career.