Aaron Rodgers for U.S. Vice President? RFK Jr. reaches out to Jets QB for presidential campaign: Report
Presidential candidate RFK Jr. has reportedly approached Aaron Rodgers to be his running mate in the 2024 US Elections. The politician is running as an independent after choosing to move away from the Democratic Party primary, which he viewed as tilted toward incumbent President Joe Biden.
As the filing deadline approaches for multiple states that require a Vice Presidential nominee, the New York Times reports that RFK Jr. is stepping up his search for a potential candidate to share ballot access with him. So far, he has reached out to Jesse Ventura, Aaron Rodgers, Tulsi Gabbard, Rand Paul, and Andrew Yang, as per the report. Only the first two candidates are reportedly still in consideration, with the others having turned him down.
While Jesse Ventura once ran a similar campaign to RFK Jr. for his successful gubernatorial bid in Minnesota and has a prior political profile, it looks like the current candidate might be taking Aaron Rodgers more seriously.
As per the report, the Presidential candidate regularly speaks to the quarterback. Both share similar ideals as it pertains to vaccines and it has led to a budding synergy between them. And while Ventura might have been a big name in previous years, the Jets star is more well-known to the current generation as a four-time NFL MVP.
One theory that seems to support RFK Jr. leaning towards the quarterback is the domain "kennedyrodgers.com" has been recently registered on GoDaddy. Aaron Rodgers himself has been open in his support for the candidacy and now it looks like he could be on the ticket.
Will Aaron Rodgers retire from football if he runs for office with RFK Jr.?
Aaron Rodgers missed the entirety of last season with the New York Jets after rupturing his Achilles. He has taken time to get better and is slated to be the starting quarterback this year for the team. He has restructured his contract in a way that points to him staying with the franchise for the next couple of years.
But that said, if he is indeed on a Presidential ticket, he might have to cut his playing career short. There would need to be regular campaigns and traveling across the country. Much of that would eat into the offseason and the election date in November would mean that he will not be able to play during the beginning of the season if he is still involved in the Presidential race.