Aaron Rodgers has proven what critics of the Green Bay Packers’ 2020 NFL Draft decisions thought all along.
Rodgers delivered an MVP-caliber season and is about to play in his fifth NFC Championship Game. In other words, he is far from washed up and ready to hand over the reins to rookie quarterback Jordan Love.
When the Packers drafted Love in the first round in April, Rodgers frankly admitted he understood it meant a clock started on the end of his time in Green Bay and he might have to finish his career elsewhere if he wanted to play beyond a certain age.
Now? The 37-year-old future Hall of Famer is being asked about a sense of urgency considering it is unknown how many more chances he will get to be on the doorstep of winning a second Super Bowl ring. Drew Brees is expected to retire from the New Orleans Saints, and he only won one Super Bowl in a 20-year career that will leave him as the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards.
“My future is a beautiful mystery, I think,” Rodgers said. “The present is such a gift to be able to stay in the moment and to have gratitude for being in this situation again, and being with the guys and having fans in our stadium and maybe snow in an NFC Championship Game. I’m going to enjoy these moments for sure, and just not worry about what happens down the line.”
Rodgers led the Packers to a Super Bowl win at the end of the 2010 season but is 0-3 in the NFC Championship Game since, including a loss last season to the San Francisco 49ers. All three were on the road. This time, the Packers are slight home favorites, but six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady is guiding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the other side.
“A lot of people didn’t think we’d be back here after last season,” Rodgers said. “We got a lot of interesting comments last year about us being the worst 13-3 team that people had seen. Not the same type of comments this [year]. Obviously we’re clicking a lot better on offense. I do feel really thankful to be back here, thankful for the chance to be playing.”
It sounds a little Zen, but Rodgers has had that same approach ever since the eye-opening draft.
“I’m always just trying to stay present, especially this year as much as anything, and enjoy the moments,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “I hope there’s more opportunities, but I don’t know. I mean, I really don’t. That stuff is out of my control. “