Aaron Rodgers' words sounded almost auspicious: "I'm going to take my time and have conversations with the people here, then take my time and stand back and make a decision."
Jan Erhardt
sports editor.
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After the surprising departure of the Green Bay Packers in the National Football League (NFL) play-offs, the quarterback left open his whereabouts with the team, which was actually considered the favorite for the title, and did not even want to rule out the end of his career.
The only thing that is certain for him is that he will not be part of a reconstruction in Green Bay if he continues to play.
So I would only stay with the Packers if there were realistic chances of winning the championship in the coming season.
"Lots of decisions to make"
The 38-year-old, who was voted the most valuable player in the NFL last year, was referring to the personnel situation of his team.
Several contracts with important Packers players expire after this season, which came to an unexpectedly early end for Rodgers in a 10:13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“There will be many decisions to be made, many players whose future is unclear.
It will be interesting to see where some of these decisions go," said the playmaker at the press conference that followed.
He, too, will now have talks, "and think about my own future and how much longer I want to do it."
Green Bay went into the playoffs after the end of the regular season as the top contender to win the Super Bowl, the final of the NFL.
But after skipping the play-off round of 16, which the best team in the two NFL seasons is entitled to, the painful defeat against San Francisco followed.
The team from the state of Wisconsin had a 10-3 lead with just a few minutes to go, but a defensive touchdown and a successful field goal attempt four seconds before the end turned the game in favor of the 49ers, in which the German Mark Nzeocha used.
While San Francisco can now prepare for the NFL semi-finals, the Packers are faced with an important question: in their squad planning, through contract extensions worth millions, if necessary, rely on personnel reinforcements for the coming season to be successful again in order to have another Super Bowl after 2011 to win?
Or will they shed some pros, lighten the payroll and start fresh with young, talented players (which could take several years though)?
For Rodgers, who recently made the headlines because of his controversial statements about the corona vaccination, the answer to this question is clear: at least if he is to wear the Green Bay Packers jersey again.