Aaron Rodgers got very candid about the issues he has with the Green Bay Packers during his first press conference at training camp. And one of the things that stood out is him talking about retiring from the NFL. Rodgers was asked if he considered retiring due to his frustrations with the Packers.
“It was definitely something I thought about,” Rodgers said. However, he then said that his “fire still burns” to play football, which is one of the reasons he reported to training camp on Tuesday. But why was Rodgers ready to call it a career? He explained all the problems he has with the Packers, including being treated as more than just an employee.
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“The organization looks at me and my job as just to play,” Rodgers stated. “In my opinion, based on what I’ve accomplished in this league, the way I care about my teammates, the way I show up in the locker room, the way I lead, the way I conduct myself in the community, you should tie myself to a little bit more input. The rules are the same for most people, but every now and then there’s some outliers, guys who’ve been in the organization for 17 years and won a few MVPs, where they can be in conversations at a different higher level.”
Rodgers also wanted to have a voice when it comes to free agents signing with the Packers. “The fact I haven’t been used in those discussions is something I wanted to change moving forward,” Rodgers said. “And I felt like based on my years, the way I can still play, that that should be a natural part of the conversation. As that progressed from that point, nothing really changed on that front.”
Adam Schefter of ESPN broke the news in April that Rodgers didn’t want to return to the Packers. In the press conference, Rodgers revealed that’s when talks of a new contract began. “I think what basically happened is they said, we’ll give you some money now,” Rodgers revealed. “Let’s see if we can throw some money at you. I said from the start it wasn’t about the money. Obviously I didn’t show up for the offseason program or minicamp. To me, it was bigger than this. It was about trying to be a resource for the organization that I care about and love so much.”
