INDIANAPOLIS — Aaron Rodgers famously once told Packers fans that he had five letters for them: “R-E-L-A-X.”
Well, we have six letters for Rodgers: E-N-O-U-G-H.
Rodgers continues to hold the Jets, the Packers and the rest of the NFL hostage as he drags out his decision on whether and where to continue his football career.
The latest installment of “As Aaron Turns” came Wednesday, when he appeared on the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast.”
If you, like me, have never heard of Marcus before, here is the description of his podcast from his website: A motivational destination for conversations with the brightest minds in athletics, business, mindset and spirituality.
That’s certainly a departure from “The Pat McAfee Show,” Rodgers’ usual information vessel.
On the podcast, Rodgers did not announce a decision. Instead, he kicked the can down the road again and then told everyone he is not seeking attention.
“There’s a finality to the decision,” Rodgers said. “I don’t make it lightly. I don’t want to drag anybody around. I’m answering questions about it because I got asked about it. I’m talking about it because it’s important to me. If you don’t like it and you think it’s drama, and you think I’m being a diva or whatever, then just tune it out. That’s fine. But this is my life. It’s important to me. I’ll make a decision soon enough and we’ll go down that road. I’ll be really excited about it.”
Aaron, we all wish we could tune out.
Unfortunately, this decision could alter the NFL landscape. Fans, players, coaches, reporters — we’re all waiting to move on. Rodgers said in January that he was confident he would have a decision made in a few weeks. That was five weeks ago.
Then, he went on the famed darkness retreat and we all expected Punxsutawney Aaron to emerge with an answer about his future, but he came back to the light last week and still nothing. Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said Tuesday that he has not spoken to Rodgers beyond some texts.
You have to wonder what the Jets are thinking right now. Yes, Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks ever to throw a spiral. But is he worth all of this drama? If Rodgers comes to the Jets, it’s going to be a weekly circus around him. The Jets have gotten a taste of that as they have flirted with the idea of trading for Rodgers for the last two months. They might say, “Yes, he is worth it.” Rodgers is pretty damn good after all.
There is a stark contrast, though, between how Rodgers is going about things and how Derek Carr, who feels like Plan B for the Jets, is going about his dealings with teams. Carr has met with three teams, including the Jets and there has been an open dialogue. No teams can do that with Rodgers because he is still under contract with the Packers.
Carr traveled to Indianapolis this week to talk to teams. He met with the Panthers and Saints on Tuesday, according to the NFL Network. He was scheduled to meet with the Jets on Wednesday. Teams are getting a chance to get comfortable with Carr while Rodgers is taking darkness retreats. It feels like teams are dating Carr right now before deciding to marry him. With Rodgers, it could be a shotgun wedding with very little conversation beforehand.
Rodgers claims he is not trying to be dramatic, and he is just answering questions. He does not have to answer those questions right now. He is choosing to. Carr, on the other hand, has kept quiet about what happened in Las Vegas and how he feels about free agency.
On Tuesday night, I spotted Carr at his hotel here. I approached him and asked him if he would talk to me about his visit with the Jets. He politely said he’s not going to do any interviews right now. He did not feel comfortable talking about his conversations with teams. No drama.
The Jets are high on both Rodgers and Carr and feel like one of them can be the missing piece for a team with a good defense and a developing young core. But the Jets have to weigh their tolerance for everything that comes with Rodgers. He continues to drive that point home with every new episode of “As Aaron Turns.”
There will surely be some dramatic flourish to end this “will he or won’t he” saga. Maybe he can go to a Boys & Girls Club to make his announcement like LeBron James.
If you’re the Jets, though, you have to be a little worried about what is coming if Rodgers does decide to take his talents to Florham Park.