Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a decision to make about his future, and he indicated he wouldn’t be announcing anything during a Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
But he did hint at what factors might play into his decision. And the first thing he mentioned was the status of teammate and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, whose contract talks with the Packers broke down last July.
Adams is set to to become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year opens March 16. The Packers, however, could place the franchise tag on Adams, which would give the team until mid-July to hammer out a long-term deal while preventing him from hitting the open market.
The window to tag players opened Tuesday and runs until March 8.
“In Green Bay there’s this one specific guy who’s the best in the league at what he does, wears, I think, No. 17,” Rodgers said on the show. “You might have heard of him? There’s the opportunity to tag him at some point and I think both parties want to get that done, they would probably rather get a long-term extension done. I understand that’s a part of a decision and I’ve talked about not wanting to drag this out.”
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Rodgers, 38, is fresh off of his 17th season in which he won his second-consecutive AP Most Valuable Player award, his fourth overall. Rodgers completed 68.9% of his passes for 4,115 yards with 37 touchdowns against four interceptions in 16 games in 2021.
Rodgers has been open about his contemplating a potential retirement. He had also expressed his frustrations with the Packers last offseason, though he has acknowledged that his relationship with the team has improved this year.
“There’s a lot to decide,” Rodgers said. “I still want to have conversations with some of my close friends and current teammates. Obviously Tom Clements, the guy who was hired to be the quarterbacks coach of the Green Bay Packers, Tom and I go way back. I love Tom. I owe him so much credit for my development, so I’m happy to see him back in the game.”
Though Rodgers didn’t announce anything related to his Packers future, he did note the success he has had in coach Matt LaFleur’s three seasons in Green Bay.
“I was texting Matt before I made my (MVP) speech,” Rodgers said. “Three years together, two MVPs—that’s no coincidence.”
Rodgers’ four MVP awards is second only to former Broncos and Colts passer Peyton Manning’s five.
The Packers were the NFC’s No. 1 seed and entered the playoffs as Super Bowl favorites, but they lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs. After they were eliminated, Rodgers said he met with Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, vice president of football administration Russ Ball and LaFleur.
“The meetings were a little bit different than they have been in the past,” Rodgers said, “in a positive way.”
Rodgers has said he’s aware of the nature of the NFL calendar and said he would make a decision about his future fairly soon out of respect for the Packers.
“I love the game,” Rodgers said. “It’s given me a lot and I can still play.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Rodgers drops hints about NFL future with Packers