Aaron Rodgers makes promise to Packers organization, teammates

Aaron Rodgers‘ season ended on Saturday in shocking fashion, as the Green Bay Packers lost 13-10 to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, sending Rodgers into an offseason full of mystery much earlier than expected.

Now, as Rodgers could be on his way out, the Pro Bowl quarterback made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show to make one key promise to the Green Bay Packers organization: he will make his own decision, and he won’t set out to impact that of his teammates like Davante Adams. Adams, 29, just finished the final year of his current contract with the Packers; although he could be franchise tagged by Green Bay, rumors circulated that his future with the organization could hinge on Rodgers’.

“I’d like to be respectful of the organization,” Rodgers said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “One decision that will be upcoming will be obviously Davante and his future with the team. There still is this thing called a franchise tag, which I don’t think ’17’ wants the franchise. I think that should be enough time to make a decision by then. I don’t want to put myself on a specific date, but I do want to be sensitive to Davante and many other guys who have decisions to make on their own futures. To drag it out past free agency would be disrespectful to the organization and to those guys, and that 100 percent will not happen.”

Rodgers says he will make a decision with enough time so teammates like Adams can make decisions of their own. Adams just finished up his career-best year for the Packers, finishing with 123 receptions for 1,553 reeiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 16 games played, good for a first-team All-Oro and Pro Bowl nod — both lists to which he was also named last season.

Rodgers, 37, infamously staged a holdout from Green Bay Packers training camp this offseason — just one year after winning the MVP award — because he did not get the extension or trade he asked for, per ESPN.

The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers reached out to the Packers and inquired about Rodgers’ availability, per Adam Schefter, but they didn’t budge; furthermore, when the Packers did eventually offer an extension, Rodgers wasn’t happy with the terms. Part of Rodgers’ frustration stemmed from the Packers using a 2020 first-round NFL Draft pick on the selection of Jordan Love, his apparent heir, while Rodgers believed he was still at the prime of his career.

Eventually, Rodgers reported to camp. The result: a 13-4 finish, good for the NFC’s No. 1 seed and a first-round playoff bye, all while Rodgers turned in what could — and should — be the fourth NFL MVP-winning season of his career. But it ended early, and now his Packers career could be over.