NFL Trade Rumors: 3 reasons why Aaron Rodgers should retire instead of holding out

Aaron Rodgers - American Century Championship
Aaron Rodgers - American Century Championship

The 2021 NFL off-season has been dominated by one player, Aaron Rodgers. Ever since the news broke on the first day of the NFL Draft that Rodgers wanted out of Green Bay, this story has captivated the NFL community.

As NFL training camps approach at the end of July, the Packers and Rodgers seem no closer to resolving their differences. The quarterback wants his way out, while Green Bay have repeatedly said that they are not trading him. That leaves one obvious solution that Aaron Rodgers can control himself: retire.

There are some pretty good reasons for the Super Bowl-winning quarterback to call it a day. Let’s take a look at three such reasons why the reigning MVP should hang up his cleats instead of continuing to hold out.

#1 Financial implications

Aaron Rodgers has made a fortune playing quarterback for the Green Bay Packers in the NFL. He recently donated $1 million to small businesses in his hometown of Chico in California.

If Aaron Rodgers continues to hold out and skip the upcoming training camp, he would be subject to $2 million in fines. Now, if Rodgers was to retire, he would not face fines for missing training camp.

Yes, he would have to pay back his $14.7 million salary, but he will have to do that anyway if he holds out for the entire NFL season. So by retiring, he avoids the training camp fine of $2 million.


#2 Host Jeopardy

Earlier this year in April, Aaron Rodgers was the guest host of the game show Jeopardy for two weeks. The former winner of an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy, Rodgers has been a lifelong fan of the show.

He even said after his guest-hosting run ended that he would be interested in hosting the show full time. In an interview with The Ringer, Rodgers explained his thoughts on hosting:

“I don’t think I’d need to give up football to do it. They film 46 days a year. I worked 187 this year in Green Bay. That gives me, (pauses)—178 days to do Jeopardy! So I feel like I could fit 46 into that 178 and make it work. It would be a dream job for sure, and I’m not shy at all about saying I want the job. That’s how I went into it. I want an opportunity to be in the mix.”

If Rodgers retires from the NFL, he would have plenty of time to take on the full-time role as Jeopardy's host.

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#3 Work on his golf game

The three-time NFL MVP is an avid golfer, and by hanging up his cleats, he will have more time to focus on his short game.

Next month, Rodgers is scheduled to take on Bucs quarterback Tom Brady in 'The Match', which will be broadcast around the world. Brady is partnering with Phil Mickelson, while Rodgers is playing alongside Bryson Dechambeau.

Rodgers is currently playing off a 4.6 handicap, and with more time on his hands, he may be able to lower that substantially. Maybe he can eventually play on the US senior tour and spend his retirement playing golf courses around the world. It'd be a lot safer and quieter than Myles Garrett trying to chase you down.

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Edited by Bhargav