17 January 2023 , 20:33
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Aaron Rodgers has thrown his NFL future into doubt after admitting he is not "mentally or emotionally" ready to make a decision.
Off-season sagas surrounding the Green Bay Packers star quarterback are nothing new, and another period of uncertainty faces the franchise with the 39-year-old undecided on his next steps 10 months on from signing a three-year, $15million contract to stay at Lambeau Field.
In the wake of a disappointing end to a poor season, missing out on a playoff berth with a defeat to the Detroit Lions in the regular season finale, Rodgers has held talks with the Packers over his future, but it seems a decision will not come quickly.
"We had all the conversations we wanted to have about football for now," he said on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday. "They are not pressing for any specific type of answer and I am not mentally or emotionally at that point to give one.
"If I am asked about it, I will respond in honesty but this is not something where I am going to respond to a bunch of inquiries about 'What are you thinking this week?' or 'What are you thinking next week?'
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"It's get away from it mentally and physically and emotionally as your body starts to come back after a few weeks of TLC and then you are in a better frame of mind to contemplate your future."
The Packers finished the season with an 8-9 record, with a late-season surge too little too late as a dismal stretch midway through the year costing them a place in the post-season. Both Rodgers and the team endured a significant drop-off in performance after claiming the number one seed and the NFL MVP last season.
A fractious and frustrating relationship with a novice receiving corps threatened to rule the Pack out of playoff contention long before the end of the year, but things started to improve with rookie wideout Christian Watson emerging as a future star down the stretch.
But despite the signs of something positive building after a dismal season by the Packers' standards, four-time MVP Rodgers says it is far from a sure thing that he will be back come Week One in September.
Aaron Rodgers may be preparing to walk away from the NFL for goodHe continued: "You have got to remember there are two sides to this, so what is going on on the other side and where are we at roster-wise? (Are we) focused long-term, short-term, all of those things?
"You have a feeling where you are leaning, but a lot of things come into play. Just on my side, it's the physical part, it's the emotional part, it's the spiritual part, it's the ability to go back out there and give 100 per cent. It's also the situation with where the team is at and the focus moving forward, short-term, long-term.
"And then it comes down to an intuition and what it feels like in your body and what it feels like in your mind, and once you commit, you commit and move forward, whatever the decision is.
"I just need some time right now and I don't need to ask anybody to respect my time or whatever. That's going to be the answer until I'm ready and when I'm ready to give my opinion like I did last year, I'm all in or I'm out."