Shannon Sharpe Talks Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers' Future in NFL, Super Bowl Contenders (Exclusive)

Shannon Sharpe has some interesting thoughts when it comes to the future of Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Both star quarterbacks have flirted with retirement recently, but could it actually happen after this year based on how their teams have looked so far? PopCulture.com exclusively spoke to Sharpe who said Brady and Rodgers need to stop talking about retirement if they are not going to do it. 

"You cannot keep talking about retirement and not retire." Sharpe exclusively told PopCulture via email. "Tom Brady retired for 40 days and then came back. Aaron Rogers has been talking about retirement for 2 years now." Brady's retirement was announced in February, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback returned to the NFL in March. Rodgers hasn't announced his retirement but has considered it after the 2020 and 2021 seasons. 

2022 has been a challenging season for both Brady and Rodgers. The Buccaneers currently are 5-5 on the year but were 3-5 two weeks ago. For Brady, he has had a solid season, completing 66% of his passes while throwing for 2,805 yards, 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions through 10 games. Brady has dealt with his share of personal issues this year but recently told reporters he has no plans to retire.

Rodgers and the Packers were on a five-game losing streak before getting a big win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. And like Brady, Rodgers has had a solid 2022 season, completing 65% of his passes while throwing for 2,315 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions through 10 games. 

The Buccaneers and Packers are still in the hunt to make the playoffs, but are they Super Bowl contenders? When asked who the teams are to have the best chance to reach the Super Bowl, Sharpe said Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers. As for the teams that have been the most impressive, Sharpe said the Eagles and Bills have looked the best during the first half of the year.

Sharpe knows all about being a champion as he won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos and one with the Baltimore Ravens. The Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end was also selected to the Pro Bowl eight times and the All-pro Team four times.