Matt LaFleur remains coy over how long Aaron Rodgers will play in the NFL
Aaron Rodgers committed his future to the Green Bay Packers after a long, drawn-out process that had the entire world guessing. The Packers quarterback will earn just over $150 million over the next three years.
The 38-year-old is coming off back-to-back MVP awards after guiding the Packers to multiple 13-win seasons. It is clear that Rodgers is at the peak of his powers, but how long will he continue to play?
The Packers head coach spoke at the NFL Annual Meetings on Tuesday, and according to Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk, LaFleur stated that the 38-year-old will play as long as he wants to.
LaFleur said:
“I think he’ll go as long as he wants to go. It’s not only the talent and the mind, but the way he takes care of himself is as good as I’ve seen. Super disciplined in terms of everything he does from what he puts into his body to how he prepares physically, mentally. So yeah, those aren’t conversations that we have regularly. We’re just going to take advantage of the time that he is with us and continue to try to work and grind to, hopefully, some day, be able to get a Super Bowl.”
“I think he’ll go as long as he wants to go… We’re going to take advantage of the time he has with us,” #Packers coach Matt Lafleur on how much longer Aaron Rodgers could play.
Aaron Rodgers is aiming for ring number two
Last season was a bitter disappointment for Rodgers and the Packers. After another superb season in which the NFC North franchise was the NFC's number one seed, they fell at the first hurdle.
Losing to Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers at Lambeau Field, in which the Packers offense could only muster 10 points in the divisional round after scoring a touchdown on their first drive, the Packers underwhelmed.
Now, without superstar receiver Davante Adams and depth receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the receiving core of the Packers is worryingly thin. While they are likely to pick up a receiver or two in the NFL draft, many have stated that the Packers will not be in contention for the Super Bowl in 2022.
But when you have a quarterback of the caliber of Aaron Rodgers, you are always going to have a chance. Just how the 38-year-old will adjust to not having his prime number one receiver in Adams will be interesting as he will have to rely on others to get the job done.
After committing his future to the organization, the pressure is now on the reigning MVP winner to deliver a much overdue Lombardi Trophy to Lambeau Field.