Kyle Brandt on Aaron Rodgers' future: 'As a lifelong fan, I've seen enough'

NFL Network’s Kyle Brandt loves Aaron Rodgers but he’s ready to see it end after 20 years in the NFL.

After reports surfaced that Rodgers would not be back with the New York Jets in 2025, there are questions if he’ll go elsewhere. Or, he might finally walk away from football.

Brandt summed up Rodgers’ era in the best way too.

“Aaron Rodgers is very personal to me,” Brandt said. “I feel like he is a band that blew up as I started listening to music. It’s my generation. It’s my era … I loved watching him. I loved studying him. I’ve gotten to talk to him, everything, even through controversial or dark times. I was always fascinated. I personally am ready to be done watching Aaron Rodgers play football. That’s just my own take on it. And I know he probably had this idea that, you know, I want to go out like Elway or like Peyton. I don’t think that’s going to happen.” 

Rodgers didn’t get to go out the way he likely wanted to. It’s been, unfortunately for him, a dismal tenure with the Jets following an illustrious Packers career.

“And I know from a Bay Area guy who grew up watching old NFL films, videos and stuff like, sometimes they go out like Steve Young, and sometimes they go out like Joe Montana. You don’t always get carried off,” Brandt said. “I just feel like Aaron Rodgers, you’re 20 seasons in, you just ended with a win at home, you threw your 500th touchdown pass …

“Started every single game. His body’s already been broken. He has all the MVPs. He’s a Super Bowl champion. We’re gonna have this pipe dream about the Steelers or the Raiders. And it’s this one last thing to chase, something that I don’t even know what that thing is. As a fan of his, I’m ready to be done seeing it.” 

Kyle Brandt hoping for Aaron Rodgers to retire

Brandt even compared Rodgers to actor Jim Carrey. Don’t bite off more than you can chew at this point and walk away respectfully.

“I have a comp that I think is interesting to me. The Hollywood comp that I have for Aaron Rodgers is Jim Carrey,” Brandt said. “It’s an all time legend who’s wildly talented, maybe one of the most talented people we’ve ever seen on screen. Unbelievable memories in 20 years and on and on. Interesting takes off the field. There’s some controversy, all that type stuff, famous, significant others. It’s all there. But more specifically, when I think about Aaron Rodgers jumping on one last team to try it again after the just thing didn’t work out, there is an infamous passage of Jim Carrey’s Wikipedia page that gets me that the internet falls in love with. And I think it kind of speaks to Rogers right now. I’m going to read it to you verbatim: 

“In April 2022 Jim Carrey announced that he was considering retirement, saying, quote, I have enough. I’ve done enough. I am enough. He said he would return if he were offered a script that he felt would be, quote, really important for people to see. In February 2024 it was announced that Carrey would reprise his role as Dr. Robotnik in Sonic the Hedgehog … Rodgers is saying, like, what if there’s that team Steelers, Raiders, the great history. Just don’t go chasing Sonic the Hedgehog 3.” 

The Steelers, Raiders or elsewhere is Rodgers’ Sonic the Hedgehog. Brandt doesn’t want to see that.

“You’re too big, you’re too good. You’ve accomplished too much. You have enough. You’ve done enough. You are enough. Go off and enjoy the next stage of life, whatever the hell that’s going to be, whatever you want,” Brandt said. “You’ve earned it. As a lifelong fan, I’ve seen enough.”