Aaron Rodgers is willing to consider retiring as a Packer

NBC Sports

5 days ago

It's highly unlikely that Aaron Rodgers would ever play again for the Packers. A ceremonial one-day contract remains possible.
During his recent appearance with 'Mike Stud,' Rodgers addressed the possibility of officially retiring as a Packer. He's on the fence, for now.
'You know, I've thought about that and I don't understand what the reason for that is,' Rodgers said. 'You know, at the same time, I grew up a Niner fan and most of my favorite players retired as a Niner. You know, Jerry Rice, who went to three other teams, really, he came back and retired as a Niner. So I understand the cool thing about it but, if I didn't do it, would that make a difference in how I'm viewed in the Packers' eyes? . . .
'If I do or if I don't, I don't think it should make a difference. I'm not sure yet. If they approach me about it, I probably would.'
He's right. It's a meaningless gesture for the team and its fans. It seems to be, if nothing else, a way for the player to get closure on his career. If the player doesn't need it, why do it?
The bigger question is how Rodgers's time with the Packers will be remembered.
'When I retire, in four years I'm gonna go into the Packer Hall of Fame — may or may not get my number retired — whether they do or not that's fine,' Rodgers said. 'But in four years I'll be in the Packer Hall of Fame. . . . There's a lot of love from me and how I feel about the team.'
Despite my very strong belief that no team should permanently retire numbers (and that, if they do, it should truly be permanent), the Packers have crossed that bridge. They retired Brett Favre's number (and Bart Starr's). They should also retire Rodgers's number.
Both Rodgers and Favre won a Super Bowl. Unlike Favre, Rodgers was a Super Bowl MVP. He won the league MVP award four times. (Favre won three.)
Rodgers has nearly as many passing yards for the Packers as Favre did (61,655 vs. 59,055). Rodgers has more touchdown passes (475 vs. 442) and far fewer interceptions (105 vs. 286).
Rodgers' touchdown-to-interception ratio remains uncanny. For his career, he's at 503 touchdown passes and only 116 interceptions.
So, yes, the Packers should retire Rodgers's number 12. Regardless of whether Rodgers wants to sign a one-day retirement contract.