He sure knows how to get everyone in a frenzy.
Late Monday night, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is considering retirement, caused the NFL world to stop spinning when he posted a long message on Instagram thanking a wide range of people accompanied by several photos. However, he didn’t announce his future plans in football.
“To my teammates, past and current, you are the icing on the beautiful cake we call our job; football,” Rodgers wrote. “The friendships that we have will transcend our collective time in this game, and I am so thankful for the role that each of you have played in making my life that much better. I love you guys, and cherish the memories we’ve made.”
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Aaron Rodgers (@aaronrodgers12)
While the post didn’t include any announcement, that didn’t stop the internet sleuths from trying to decipher it.
The message and most of the photos are relatively innocuous, but many online have pointed to one photo in particular that could hint at Rodgers’ future. The photo shows Green Bay wideouts Randall Cobb and Davante Adams standing during the national anthem with a gap between them. Rodgers usually stands there, but the photo was taken prior to the Packers’ game against Kansas City when Rodgers was out with COVID-19.
For what it’s worth: Aaron Rodgers usually stands in between Davante Adams and Randall Cobb during the national anthem. The final picture in his Instagram post is a photo of Cobb and Adams with an empty space between them (from the game he missed). pic.twitter.com/VSIc7oCCLU
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 22, 2022
Some have interpreted that to mean Rodgers is retiring. Others suggest he’s requesting a trade. And, then, there are those who believe Rodgers is trolling everyone just for fun.
Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show” on YouTube and SiriusXM on Tuesday that he has made “no decision on my future.” He used Monday’s Instagram post to show gratitude to people who have helped him over the past year.
“I just came out of a 12-day cleanse where you’re eating a specific diet and you’re going through these treatments every day and you’re not really doing anything else,” Rodgers said. “You’ve got to kind of turn everything else off, so you’re not working out, you’re not straining or anything. It’s kind of a re-centering. It not only heals you physically, but I think it takes away mental stress and then the spiritual part I think is it allows you to kind of enjoy the meditations a little more, so when I come out, my first thought is intense gratitude for the people in my life.”
This article is based in part on wire service reports.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.