Aaron Just Hinted at His NFL Retirement After Shailene Shaded the Packers For ‘Disrespecting’ Him

It’s the question that’s been on the minds of football fans for months: Will Aaron Rodgers retire from the Packers soon? Well, it seems like Rodgers may have finally revealed the answer to that during a recent press conference.

After Green Bay’s first training camp practice on Wednesday, July 28, Rodgers spoke candidly to reporters about his drama with the Packers—and whether retirement was ever on the table. The veteran quarterback, 37, admitted that he did indeed consider retiring during the 2021 offseason after a series of frustrations with the team, including what he called “low-ball” offers to star players over the years that resulted in their departure from the Packers, according to Us Weekly. He also accused the organization of trying to make him a “lame duck” quarterback after they traded and hired players without his prior knowledge or consultation.

“I felt like if you can’t commit to me past 2021 and I’m not part of your recruiting process in free agency, if I’m not a part of the future, then instead of letting me be a lame-duck quarterback — if you want to make a change and move forward — then go ahead and do it,” Rodgers told reporters, according to the site. The NFL player went on to insist that his misgivings with the Packers were not about money, but about being included in team decisions. “I think what basically happened is they said, ‘We’ll give you some money now,'” he recalled. “‘Let’s see if we can throw some money at you.’ I said from the start it wasn’t about the money.”

He added, “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.” As evidenced by Wednesday’s training, however, Rodgers did ultimately show up for Packers camp. The football star noted that he wouldn’t be there if he wasn’t 100 percent committed to the 2021 season, which should come as a welcome confirmation for fans.

Rodgers’ press conference came just days after his fiancée, Shailene Woodley, seemingly called out the Packers after they “dismissed” and “disrespected” the star quarterback. The Big Little Lies actress, 29, retweeted a video from ESPN commentator Stephan A. Smith, which criticized those who were upset by Rodgers’ earlier decision to turn down a lucrative contract extension with Green Bay. “It’s not just about the money, and it certainly isn’t about football,” Smith said in the clip. “This is about the way that the Green Bay Packers have treated their star player. They have disregarded him, they have dismissed him, they have minimized him, they’ve disrespected him. And he said, ‘Bump, y’all, enough’s enough.'”

Luckily for Packers fans, it looks like Rodgers and Green Bay have finally been able to come to an agreement—at least for now.

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