The Pat McAfee Show - PMS 2.0 586 - Aaron Rodgers Tuesday Season 2 Finale, Sean Payton Announces Retirement, Ian Rapoport, & AJ Hawk

Episode Date: January 25, 2022

On today's show, Pat, AJ Hawk, and the boys chat about Sean Payton announcing his retirement today as well as a couple of GM jobs getting filled with the Bears and Vikings both making hires, and whether or not Tom Brady's recent comments indicate he may be retiring. Joining the program to chat about everything going on with the Coaching/GM searches, injury updates for the Conference Championship games, and what he's hearing about Aaron Rodgers' future plans (18:19-42:49). Later, joining the show as he has every Tuesday all season, the reigning, defending MVP of the NFL, Quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers joins Pat and AJ to chat about the disappointing end to the season Saturday Night at home against the 49ers, thoughts on the future and whether that means retirement, coming back to the Packers, or playing for a different team, his thoughts on the season as a whole, and much more (51:34-1:50:05). Make sure you subscribe to youtube.com/thepatmcafeeshow and listen every day on Mad Dog Radio, Sirius XM Channel 82. We appreciate you all for listening, come and laugh with us. Cheers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello, it is Aaron Rodgers Tuesday, January 25th. A lot of people have talked about this conversation that we got to have with Aaron earlier today. Now, let's go ahead and enjoy the hell out of it. A lot of things were said. Can't wait to see the speculation begin immediately tomorrow morning. And we can't thank you enough for allowing us to be a part of your day. All the boys are here.

AJ's here. Rapaport's here. Aaron's here. Let's get to it. Aaron Rodgers Tuesday, January 25th, 2022. Two hours from now, Aaron Rodgers will be joining us for a conversation. We did not know if he was going to be here. We did not want to make him feel as if we were forcing him to come speak because there's a lot of things to chat about. Obviously, he broke the internet again last week. Then they lost.

Now his future, what's going to happen? Who's going where? There's a lot of talking points going into this particular conversation, just two days removed from an incredibly surprising exit from the NFL season in which he's probably going to win his second MVP in two years. So did I think he was going to come back on the show at some point? Yes. Did I expect it to be this early in the week on the normal Aaron Rodgers Tuesday? No, honestly, I did not because I think he has a lot to figure out and go through and how he would like to address some things because every single word that he says is going to get scrutinized and talked about, not just in Green Bay, Wisconsin,

but in a lot of cities that have NFL teams that are looking ahead to next year saying, how do we get over the hump? How do we win the Super Bowl? We have an entire roster. We have a lot of money, a beautiful stadium, an owner that is probably kindred spirits with Aaron Rogers. How do we get that guy onto our team? And I'm not just necessarily talking about the Indianapolis Colts in specific because that would be fucking hilariously awesome. I'm talking about a lot of other cities as well. Denver's already got it kind of etched in stone that they're going to have Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback next year.

Pittsburgh fans haven't given up all hope that Aaron Rodgers isn't going to be there. How about Cleveland? How about Carolina? How about Miami? There is literally so much to talk about with every single word that Aaron is going to say two hours from now. And I can't wait for it. I'm pretty excited about it. There's also many other breaking news happening around the NFL and big news happening around everywhere.

Ian Rappaport will join us in about 15 minutes. We will ask him some questions about his sources, what he's hearing, what does he know, what does the future of the NFL look like. And going into championship weekend, is there anything we should keep our eyes on? Like Trent Williams, who MRI came back negative. They're going to take it day by day. He's one of the toughest dudes walking. Let's assume he's going to play. What does that mean for everybody?

Can't wait to chat with Ian. Obviously, the boys are here. At Ty Schmidt, at Boston Connor, the toxic table. Mullet looks good, Connor. Ty, got to be excited that Aaron's stopping by. And I know the internet was ready to say, hey, Troy Rogan ain't showing up. Hi, he ain't showing up.

Troy Rogan ain't going to stop by. No way. But I honestly believe that we thought there was a chance he wasn't going to come until later in the week either. I didn't think that he was going to come on Tuesday, and I didn't want to make him feel bad about it or feel forced to do it. But him stopping by, I'm excited to maybe get some clarity on a lot of question marks currently circling the Green Bay Packers' future.

Yeah, me too. I mean, it'll be interesting to see what he says. And again, I don't think any of us are expecting any groundbreaking decisions to be made today on what he's going to do moving forward because he said you know at the before free agency starts he'll make a decision but he said that yeah well they're reporting that he said that i mean i don't know if he said that yeah because aj said that yesterday exactly so that might be by the way we need to realize that if aj's saying it and allegedly aaron's saying it's like okay here is the thought that going into the free agency,

we have a lot of decisions to make on the future. What do we want to do? And I don't think what? Retirement has not been ruled out, right? Right. That has not been ruled out yet. I don't think so. So we're going to try to get our shovels out and get to the bottom of that one.

Yeah, absolutely. But it also, it's tough because I think I'm still kind of just shell-shocked. You're expecting them to be playing this weekend, and they're not. And then you look at – Hey, it kind of comes out of nowhere, doesn't it? It does. Yeah, you take one quick trip to Clontown, all of a sudden your fucking team's out.

Yeah, my God. You go to Buffalo, get steamrolled by 30 points, your team's fucking out. See you in seven months. All of a sudden you're in a snow globe, and Bob Gold hits a 45-yard field goal, and your season is fucking over out of nowhere. I mean, it comes quick.

It really does, and that's why I think it's maybe easier to process this one as a fan because last year, it's like you're right there. You get beat. Hey, we're minutes away from going to the Super Bowl, so it's like, well, you lose in the divisional round, obviously. A couple more weeks to rely on. I suppose, but also we talk about the cap number and stuff like that and how some teams are somehow able to do it. But like the Packers, it's just like it's very tough to see a situation where a lot of the guys who were key contributors this year are going to be back next year with the cap situation.

that they're in. Matt the Flower has come out and said that they have a plan on how they can keep all the key contributors around even though they are currently sitting at $38 million over the cap. It's a lot of money. They can save $19 million, I think I read this morning from ESPN Stats and Info.

They can save $19.3 million or something like that if they cut or trade Aaron Rodgers. And there was some agreement allegedly made before last season between Aaron and the team that Aaron gets to basically pick and choose what happens to him. And I think they all understand that. I think it's been reported by insiders that have the team's ear, maybe. They're saying that Aaron does have the wish to be traded if he wants. That's already kind of getting out there, so I think that foundation is already

being set. The precedent is already being set by people like, this is 100% Aaron's decision to do whatever Aaron wants to do. And you've got to figure that just like coaches make decisions around the salary cap, like for instance, Sean Payton is he doesn't know what his future looks like.

They're also 40-some million dollars over the cap. And that's a lot of, or 70-some, 71 million over the cap. So, I mean, his future is in question because maybe Sean Payton has accomplished a lot and is very well known as a great coach. He has a Netflix series coming out

about him. And he's accomplished everything. He has a lot of respect in his tenure and everything like that. And maybe that's why he's not thinking about coaching and they don't have a quarterback obviously one year without drew is like okay there's a little bit different playing football here and maybe also because they have to clear 70 fucking million dollars which is so much money that the salary cap went up to 205 million dollars just to put things in perspective 205 million dollars this is by far the highest it's ever been 70 of 205 what's that about 33 32 percent or whatever they're 32 percent over the highest salary gap in history there's a lot of moves that have to be made

and that is probably why some people are like i don't know what next year looks like for me down there it's like yeah life could be miserable and And I'm not saying that Aaron's thinking that with the Packers, right? Because he has a home there. He has comfort there. He has a routine there. He has life there. He and LaFleur, other than his last game and the first game of the season, have pretty good success together at this point because they're kind of in each other's brains.

And everybody in the building, he loves being a Packer, I think. He loves everybody in the building. So that is also on the other side of it. So, it is a massive question mark though and what the fuck he's going to do and then if you listen to let's go podcast which we did all season we did but not everybody did i think until this particular episode right shout out to jim gray and tom bray thank you guys serious xm quick math 17 times 5 18 times 5 just quick math 90 90 okay so that we listened to 90 ads that's right before we got to a point where everybody else had heard the same show that we heard right that math was brought to you by quick and long thank you thank you quick and long i mean that's not for our business but that's because quick and loan sponsored the let's go podcast which had a segment a question answer ad boom question answer

ad so each question was sponsored almost. Yeah, genius. Genius. I mean, that is just next level business. I'm sure it did very well because you didn't get the sense in the middle of the show like, okay, these ads are really getting to the point where I'm starting to almost dislike this company. Yeah, almost. As opposed to like them because they're getting going. And we had been saying all year that more people should have listened to Let's Go this year.

Okay, it's fucking Tom Brady speaking and a guy that's a very close family friend, Jim Gray. And although he runs a very different interview than us or anybody else because he's his own person, there was still Tom Brady speaking every single week. And we would get some things out of there and we'd listen. But not a lot of people were listening. It really didn't feel like that. And I'm not blaming Tom. I'm not blaming Jim.

I'm not blaming Sirius. For whatever reason, it just wasn't catching on as much as we had thought it was going to be looking at the season. Okay, looking into the season, we got Tom Brady speaking every fucking Monday. We got Aaron speaking Tuesdays. And then whatever's going to happen on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday is going to be good for the whole thing. We are very excited that, okay, we're getting to hear

two of the Mount Rushmore football players of all time each week through an entire season. It's awesome. And then as the year went on, it was like, well, there's not really much coming out of that Let's Go thing. And I don't know why, I don't know how, but I do know this most recent episode, which you can find where all podcasts are available, I believe.

That's right. Talk a lot about. Tom Brady's probably done. Yeah, sounds like it. Much different Tom. Hey, it does. It does. And Tom Diggs, I'm sorry I didn't introduce you earlier, but how's your family?

Obviously, how's your family? I mean, that is that's a big thing. How's your family, obviously? How's your family? I mean, that is a big thing. And once the smoke started leaking out of the building, and I don't know if it came from Tom's camp or people around Tom or people that had maybe heard or seen the way things were going and just were speculating, and that's how it got out.

But once the rumors of like, hey, this might be Tom's last run got out, and Tom didn't immediately squash them, which he would do on Twitter. And I watched the special, I think it was on ESPN's kickoff show I believe it was ESPN's kickoff show where teammates were saying that they see Tom actually on his Twitter account in the locker room tweeting and they're like oh shit it is actually Tom doing this thing and they they appreciate him I think it was he so he would normally put that shit to bed quick. Oh, yeah. Just because, although a lot of people think differently about Tom, I think his persona and likeness has changed mightily over the last three years since leaving New England.

I think that Howard Stern interview helped a lot. I think his Twitter account has helped a lot. And although, you know, I think a lot of people, there's still a lot of people that don't like Tom Brady because he broke the hearts of their favorite team for 20 years straight, basically. Yeah. Even more. I mean, just for 20 years straight, he was doing that.

Yeah. And he was handsome, and he has a model wife, and he was winning these Super Bowls, and he was getting, there was obviously scandals that were happening in this time. Anytime somebody's successful for 20 years, by the way, I'm going to make a prediction now. If any team is as dominant as the Patriots are in any league, there's going to be scandals. A lot of them. For two decades. Because other teams are going to be like,

how the fuck is this team playing by the same rules as us and winning for 20 years straight whenever nobody else is? So there's going to be scandal around a lot of success. But Tom was associated with that. So a lot of people just fucking hate him, I think, naturally. Every town I've lived in has hated Tom Brady. I mean, every town I've lived in has been like, they all have their own New England sucks, Tom Brady swallows. Every city has that.

In their strip district area where there is clothes, T-shirts for sale. There is some sort of New England patriot Tom Brady bashing in basically every AFC city, I would assume. That is a capice. So I think there's a natural hatred for the guy. But he is not like an I am me guy at all. I don't think. None of his teammates have said that. He will talk shit. I think he is a savage.

I believe he is a ruthless competitor, a savage. But I think he has been very much like a team guy his entire time because he was picked 199, was probably viewed amongst his peers a lot. Like, hey, you're just as much as these guys. He got coached in the same exact fashion as a rookie as he did like 15 years in. So even in his documentary he did with ESPN, he put like three other people's stories within his documentary. I think he's naturally like a spread the love type guy.

And maybe it's because he doesn't want all the hate either. Like, hey, you should hate these people too. Maybe that's a flip zone there. But I don't think he would like the fact that a story about him retiring is potentially bigger than the team that he's on. Just personally, I think. I might be wrong completely. I've never met the motherfucker.

I've just watched and been a big fan because if you're that good at the biggest sport in the biggest league and you're the greatest, I'm naturally going to be inclined to be like, hey, a lot of work probably went in. Goddamn. You probably had to do a lot. So I just have a natural respect for

that, I think. But I don't think that would be something that he'd be okay with floating out there if it wasn't real. Like I think he would put that to bed quick. Oh, yeah. And then you listen to the Let's Go podcast. There's a lot of my kids deserve a good dad. My wife deserves a good husband. What they sacrificed for me for the last six months so I can do what I do.

Like they deserve for me to return the favor. You know, just interesting stuff. And maybe Tom has always been like this after the seasons and we just haven't heard it, but he didn't just automatically cut off the rumor and maybe he'll linger. Like maybe he'll have that. I don't want to retire because this is all I know, but I want to be a good family person as well. And I'm missing a lot and maybe he'll battle back and forth.

But this is the first time I think I've heard him not say like I love my sport I love competing I love being able to go out there with my teammates and accomplish something bigger than myself like that is always the routine machine Tom Brady answer boom you can just go ahead and take it out put it down go ahead and cycle it in he was supposed to be done in 2015 he was supposed to be done years ago and it's just the same thing I love my sport I love doing this I look now it sounds like there's a little bit of like, oh, my family might actually deserve like my time around here. And I've probably given up and had to sacrifice a lot of that stuff so that I could absolutely be dominant here. And watching the doc, it feels like it's all just kind of like a Cinderella story coming to an end. I'm not, even though they lost, he said, it's all just kind of like a Cinderella story coming to an end I'm not even though they lost he said it's better to be in the arena and lose than to not be in the arena and the man in

the arena that whole thing so I think he's going to struggle with retirement and changing the chapter but this is the first time I've heard a little bit of like a doubt and I think for those guys that are way at the the super super duper thing I don't think doubt is something that creeps in and they don't react to. I think he will react to that. Yeah, no way. This is a much different Brady than we've ever seen. And to your point,

you didn't come out and squash those rumors because Jeff Darlington is pretty tied in with the Brady camp. So whenever you see something about him, about Brady from Darlington, it's typically very, very... Okay, so A.J. Hawk. Aaron Rodgers.

Coming from Aaron probably. Probably pretty good. Now, he broke the same news like four times in the last Aaron Rodgers news cycle. Yeah. Do you remember that? Oh, yeah. Different shows. A.J. Hawk says this.

And then like a month later when we hadn't had any answers, he repeated what he said. And it was like, oh, close friend A.J. Hawk, who was at the Kentucky Derby with Aaron Rodgers, is now reporting, which I guess technically is accurate, depending upon the emphasis you put on now reporting. If you say now as in breaking news, okay, that's false. But if you say now, he is right now also doing this. So that's how they slip it by there. But Darlington, you're saying straight from Thornberry. Exactly exactly he's the one that was basically the first to report two years ago

hey you should probably keep an eye on Tampa because that seems to be the place where Brady's looking uh but you know watching the man in the arena one of the biggest things throughout the whole entire thing is about how the relationships are the most important to him and nobody's bigger than the team and he mentioned you, the idea of a farewell tour because Jim Gray asked him, and he's like, that would probably be more of a distraction than, you know, me taking it all in. And him in the locker room, his teammate says he's almost been kind of different.

And earlier in the year, he was talking about how, yeah, like I thought about playing until I was 45. I've said that a lot, but also at the same time, I know I can play till 50, but really it's more about the fact that I, you know, I'm going to miss out on a lot of family time. Like the whole year has been really weird. And even the documentary in itself, it was like, man, he's making a doc. Cause you think of, you know, Jordan and Brady and Jordan did his documentary 30 years after he stopped playing and Brady's doing it while he's still playing it

just seems how many more chapters could there be exactly if he's already releasing his entire story you know then what else does he have to prove and obviously you know the undefeated season kept him going but at this point he knows it's too hard to win every single goddamn game in nfl season hey kayfabe here but what if he um what if he signed that extension to to throw off the yeah throw off any of the retirement rumors i think that i think that would make a lot of sense also kind of everyone who's coming back for a year gronk he's gone or not gone but hey by the way here okay so good transition actually you're right they signed everybody signed one year deals basically and mikeberg, the cap guru down there,

was able to make it all work and kind of make that whole thing. Gronk came out and tweeted, like, thank you, year 11. Year 12? Question mark. How are we doing? So is he going to stick around year 11 in the books? What a ride. It's been grateful to the Bucs for giving me an opportunity to play another year.

To my teammates, thank you for giving everything you had. The sweat we shed and memories made will never be forgotten. Thanks to the crew, too, with a pirate flag obviously for the Buccaneers. Year 12? Rob Gronkowski has experienced retirement life already one time. Does Tom Brady's decision necessarily mean that's Rob

Gronkowski's decision at this point? I don't know. I don't know if that's what that tweet means. Joining us now is a guy who might have an answer. Sports insider for the Biggest Leagues Network and the Biggest Leagues website. Ladies and gentlemen, the big handsome. You can't spell the word comedian without this man's name. The host of the weekly wrap-up with Rap Sheet and Friends.

Us being the friends. Ladies and gentlemen, Ian Rapoport. What's up? What's up, dude? When we head into the bunny hill. You getting out there today, huh? Hitting the slopes. Apres ski a's up, dude? When are we heading to the bunny hill? You getting out there today, huh? Hitting the slopes? Apres ski a little bit, huh?

No. No skiing today. You know, I got a busy day of – I got another call after this. Wow. I got to do some laundry. Wow. I had to do the Peloton. So I got a lot going on today.

But I think Saturday in the morning I'm going to do a little skiing. I'll let you know on today um but i think saturday in the morning i'm gonna do a little skiing i'll let you know how it goes oh before the conference championship sunday go ahead and hit the hills on uh saturday morning uh how much news you think is breaking this week or next week do you think there's about to be an active week of news breaks or what i really really really do i mean think of all the things that could happen. You got the Bears and Vikings could hire GMs pretty quickly next couple days. You have the Broncos hosted Nathaniel Hackett yesterday, sent him home, but that could happen if they don't bring in Dan Quinn. The Bears are moving along in their head coaching search.

Giants are moving on their head coaching search. We could get news from Sean Payton. What's he doing? I mean, there's a lot of stuff hanging out there, I would say. Okay, so let's hit a couple of these things that might have some answers sooner than later. Tom Brady on the Let's Go podcast with Jim Gray from SiriusXM, I believe. Five ads per thing.

He's alluding to retirement. And Darlington reported it. And Connor, who's a New England Patriots fan from Boston, said if Darlington's reporting it, it's probably coming out of the camp. He's pretty well dialed in there. And is retirement imminent here for the greatest player of all time? I'm not going to correct you there because I would never do that. Darlington did report it.

You're right. He's very plugged in. He's a great guy, and he's got great hair. I also reported it at the same time. I didn't see. Must have missed it. You're right. He's very plugged in. He's a great guy and he's got great hair. I also reported it at the same time. I didn't see. Just click. Just as punishment, just click on the NFL.com article a little bit. It would be nice.

I listened to the... Brady's hilarious, right? Because he goes into the game saying he hasn't thought about it one bit. Talked to people close to him. Like, oh, he's so focused on the game. Got it. After the game, haven't thought about it so focused on the game got it after the game haven't thought about it focused on the present goes on his own podcast and is like well here are all the reasons i'm strongly considering retirement and like if you listen to the words like you know

there's sort of an old adage when you think about retirement you're kind of already there and oh my god did he sound like he's there, right? I mean, am I crazy? No, no. Yeah. We literally just led off the show with thinking like those guys that are at that level, as soon as doubt creeps in, I don't think they not, you know, make adjustments because of it. And him talking about his family and everything, and also the Tom Brady camp with their social media. If that was to get out there, he would have crushed it if it wasn't true. By the way, if it is the case, we're all incredibly

happy and thankful for Tom. Thank you, Thomas, Edward, Patrick, Brady. The second. Sure. You know, it's interesting though. It's like, so when I reported the thing on Sunday, everybody asked me

why would he retire? Right? Like, sure, he comes out and everyone is suddenly awake at 7 o'clock in the morning on Sunday. Why would he retire? And I keep thinking, why would he keep playing? Like, football is awesome. I love football. I love to watch it.

But he's 44. He's won a million titles. He's rich. He's in great shape. So it's not like he has some terrible injury. So he's going to escape his career without an injury. He's got an amazing family that he wants to hang with. It's good.

But he's had that for the last, what, 15 years at this point, if he really wanted to. It's a competitive thing, you know, that all those super high-end competitive stamina dudes and ladies talk about whenever it's towards the end, how they don't want to give up that competition and the drive and the chase of perfection and believe me i don't have it either i mean i retired after eight years i don't know how people go on for 20 years and and when you

retired was it like man i miss like or were you like you retired and then it was you were done uh well i stopped kicking so i didn't get the urge to go back for like a year and a half or so. So I wanted to commit fully to the Internet. Yeah, so I had to cut myself off. I love kicking balls and everything like that. But your entire life's focus being on kicking balls, I was done with that. I am no longer going to do that. I'm going to try to focus on other things.

These dudes and ladies that are at the top of the they commit their entire beings to this shit i mean tb12 was created so he could extend his body long enough at a higher higher level so he could continue to go there's just a different switch that those you know it's yeah it's wild and you and i would never get there you know like you're skiing on saturday or whatever if tom brady couldn't figure out the bunny hill i'd assume he wouldn't leave the bunny hill you know like until it was figured out you know what i mean it's like there's all these like great stories of brady when he was in new england like you know he's playing ping pong with julian edelman and edelman beats him and brady fires a ping pong paddle at his head and they're all told as if they're these like cute stories i'm like

this is not normal like if one of my friends fired a ping pong paddle at my face, I'd be like, I'm going to call the police. Oh, yeah. Well, see, there's another thing. You are soft, obviously. You like the time. Yeah, yeah. You are soft. I don't want my kids to see somebody waving their finger in somebody's face.

No, I understand that you are a breed of white that has that particular view of things. And obviously, you guys have been heard, obviously, in a lot of situations. But yeah, I mean, that type of competitive edge is what drives people to be up at 4 a.m., 5 a.m. They talk about it with LeBron, obviously, currently happening, and Tom. And if he's done, I'll be excited to see what he does next, because I assume he's just going to make billions and billions and billions of dollars. Oh, yeah. I don't know how it's going to work out, but I assume that's probably right. Yeah.

He just sent me, not me, but us, an entire, well, I think it was all in my side. It was you. Yeah. But we did all the entire Brady brand down here. It's awesome. Oh, yeah. It's going to do well, I assume. I'm happy.

Thank you for your service, Tom. Thank you, Tom. Okay. So let's stick in the Tom Brady vein here because you have a plug as well. You broke the news. We obviously didn't see that. We apologize on our behalf there. Gronkowski, if Tom retires, Gronk's retiring because Gronk has always said, like, Tom's my quarterback, Tom's my quarterback.

He came back for Tom. But with how his body feels and he experienced retirement, he's still balling out. Will he maybe come to the Colts with Aaron Rodgers as well? Oh, yeah. Sign him up. OK, here we go. I have always been under the understanding that Gronk will only play for Brady. And I've talked to him. I've talked to people close to him.

It's never wavered. Like as long as Brady is going to play, he's going to play. And when Brady doesn't, he's not going to play for any other quarterback, which is also amazing because think about that life. You're like, I will only play for the greatest quarterback who ever lives. And everyone's like, I get it. And so I do get it. So I don't know. If Brady's done, would Gronk be done?

I would imagine he would be. And then it would be such a cool second act for Gronk I mean as cool as Brady's you know like he could have been done he would have been a Hall of Famer anyway I don't think he's one of the greatest tight ends ever so there's no debate it was on 100 but like this is so cool and like

you know and I'm sure there's money and whatever but like he didn't spend any of his own money anyway so like he's rich regardless like it's just it's awesome, you know? Well, and the ice shaker. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Those are crushing.

We got a couple of those sent to the house. I don't know, man. I don't get it. Whoa. You also just said you wanted to file a lawsuit at a friend that threw a paddle at your face after a ping pong game. I mean. Just come over and answer some questions is all I'm saying. Like, you know, I'm not, just don't throw in a paddle at me.

So I actually had a teammate. I won't say his name, but he's very large, and he played left tackle whenever I was there, and we went to Japan together for a USO tour. Okay, he's very large. He and I were hanging out a good bit there for a while, and then I went into basically just solitude. But he's a good guy, great guy, super competitive.

We played ping pong one time at a tournament i thought he was gonna pick me up and throw me off oh no it was awesome like there was a moment there i was like oh i should stay away from the big fella right now and uh i got lucky in that game too because he's a very good ping pong player i'm talking about anthony costanzo paizon is a good thing he's his wingspan is just unbelievable so you can't really you just gotta play defense all the time but that competitive level ian i'm surprised that So you can't really, you just got to play defense all the time. But that competitive level, Ian, I'm surprised that you don't have a single human around you that has ever been like that. I mean, I guess not, but it is.

That drives these people. That's like Gronk. Gronk knows he could still be great. Gronk got the chance to experience. And Gronk is so cool. So maybe that's why he's just like, yeah, I'm cool with whatever if I was to do it or not. Let's bounce around a little bit uh let's look ahead to uh the giants are just going to hire the bills

and the broncos are just going to hire the packers is that is that what's going on i mean dayball is definitely a strong candidate there and i think he went in as a really strong candidate because they hired joe shane from the bills and like this all makes sense and you know like the only thing that matters really is the quarterback. We can talk about all the other stuff, but the quarterback matters most. And Dayball did an incredible job taking Josh Allen from a guy who everyone thought was just some, like, inaccurate kind of something and one of the best and most fun quarterbacks in the NFL.

Like, Dayball said a lot to do with it. And Stability had a lot to do with it, and stability had a lot to do with it, and so the culture they've owned in Buffalo is great. So that makes sense. Flores interviews on Thursday, so I would still say he's got a chance because there's still some interest there. So I don't think it's a slam dunk, but I think it's possible, and I think that's definitely enough.

Flores would let Daniel Jones know immediately. Yeah. You've stunk for the last three years. And Flores, by the way, he's from there, right? Brooklyn? Is he from Brooklyn? Yeah. Man, he could come.

Be a nice feel-good story. And he got Dolphins to win somehow, didn't he? He got the Dolphins to win somehow. Nobody expected that since what? Marino. Fucking send it, dude. Isn't that? There was no fucking flub.

Dan Marino is the best we found this clip of him cutting a promo for something back in the day it was behind the scenes and immediately after a producer goes you want to hear that back he goes i want to hear shit fucking send it dude i love him he has this pittsburgh he's deep pittsburgh he's accent i love dan mar Um, let's talk a little bit before we get there and Rogers and what you're hearing. Let's talk about Trent Williams out there for San Francisco. MRIs came back negative. He's going to play ticket master, release the tickets for San Francisco folks to come into Los Angeles. That's good news. Anything else we should look at at these championship games that are kind of lingering around uh yeah trent williams injury is something to watch it was you know when you get to this point in the playoffs almost everybody plays right so and everybody's hurt and everybody's hurt too and everybody's hurt right so like and

trent williams is awesome and was out there i believe finished the game this past week and despite this injury so like i think he I think he's going to go. But it was a little alarming that Kyle Shanahan said we found some old stuff in there. And I was kind of like, well, that's not great because that means that whatever's going on in the ankle is probably, like, not a minor thing, you know. But guys play through a lot. So I think he's going to be out there. Debo Samuel took a helmet to the knee. I think he's going to be good to go.

I think he's going to be out there. Debo Samuel took a helmet to the knee. I think he's going to be good to go. The ticket thing is kind of like a fun story, but it's going to be really interesting because, like, it is possible that they pack the place, and it is like a loud 49ers contingent, which, you know, all the Rams keep saying is, like, don't sell your tickets.

That's like a real. What was that, four weeks ago, right? Four weeks ago? Kelly Stafford came out and talked about how Matthew Stafford had to go silent count at home and Jimmy G was doing hard cadence. It's just crazy. She's going to be really pissed if that happens this weekend. Well, I mean, at least the Rams got ahead of it a little bit. They at least made a big story out of it and not allowed the tickets to be sold for a little bit. I like the gamesmanship, but also the Niners faithful has been waiting for this here for a few years now.

It seems like they're all the way back. What does the future look like for them? If Jimmy G, let's say they lose this week. Okay, congrats, Matthew Stafford. Yeah, Super Bowl. Matthew Stafford was in Detroit forever playing the exact same way he's playing right now. Made zero playoff wins or anywhere near the Super Bowl.

He goes out to L.A., boom, same Matthew Stafford makes the Super Bowl. Lions are cursed. Okay.A., boom, Shane Matty Stafford makes the Super Bowl. Lions are cursed. Okay, so let's just say, pay Calvin Johnson his money. It's very easy, just make it happen. I think that all happens. So let's say that happens. Jimmy G and them lose in the NFC Championship game.

Okay. They've been there a few times, three out of the last four years. His record is like 49-18 or something like that as a starter. I forget exactly what it is. What do they do at the future? You just kind of sit on Lance another year? You give Jimmy G another year? I don't know.

I mean, I think they'll have interest in Jimmy G. He's going to be making 20, I think 6. I forget what it is, but it's in the 20s next year. So not crazy for a starting quarterback. I think he's shown that he is a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL who's going to play through some injury and going to be tough. I mean, what he's playing through now is like legit. So I think he's shown a lot. His trade market is good. I think the 49ers are probably in the place they wanted to be, which is they believed before the season they had a playoff

ready roster, right? And obviously when they struggled at the beginning, everyone was kind of like, huh? But they really are. they have a really good roster and Jimmy G has been the quarterback to lead them there he's not perfect as we see um but he is the best option this year they're going to get to the offseason and they're going to have trade interest and my guess is it'll be significant and they'll have the opportunity to trade him for a real draft pick and turn it over to Lance which to me makes the most sense um because I don't know that it's been a thing where Jimmy G has been like I am definitely the starter no matter what like because you know he's been good but it's like there's been some up and down there's it's yeah hey the conversation you're

having right now what's happening in the office this morning between two people. And I'm not going to name names, but that whole Jimmy G narrative about he's not good. You don't need him. He only had six pass attempts in an NFC championship game or divisional round. They still won. He's three and oh with throwing zero touchdowns in the playoffs or whatever. So you think to yourself, well, any other quarterback could do that potentially. But the motherfucker wins. And there's a lot of people that don't win,

and then Richard Sherman comes out and says, hey, all of his teammates love him, that type of leadership, I guess, is kind of the type of decision that Shanahan and Lynch have to make ultimately at the end of the day. Like, if we lose that guy, what else do we lose? Like, what else do we lose? And is it worth it? Do we know? Those decisions are tough

go ahead ty rap sheet obviously it's very uh fresh here with them losing on saturday but what are you hearing about rogers is there with the cap situation they're in a lot of guys are probably not going to be back next year and also with hackett getting uh head coaching interviews is there kind of like the implication that hey if we hire him there's a decent chance we might get rogers as well uh all right first on the team thing uh i think they can run it back like i know they're in some cap trouble but the cap's going up and it's you know somewhat significantly and you can figure it out like devonta adams will probably get franchised or they'll do a new deal with him so i don't think he's going anywhere you know they'll do a new deal with him. So I don't think he's going anywhere. You know, they'll probably lose one of the Smith brothers would be my guess. And there's some other, you know, Randall Cobb's on the books for like $9 million next year.

He's probably not coming back, certainly not that salary. And there's plenty of things they can do to reload, run it back, draft. I mean, they're in a really good spot. I know there's some cap things they need to do, but they're in a good spot to reload instead of just completely rebuild. They're going to do everything they can to get Rodgers back. All the things that they need to do to make him happy, I believe they are going to try to do.

What does that mean? You're probably hearing this from the other side, I guess. We obviously chat with Aaron. It sounds like you maybe have a source that's on the other side of this entire thing what do they think that is have you had those conversations with those people or if you had to project on what they thought that was what do you think it is uh I haven't had the conversation specifically about like here's what will make Aaron happy but Devonta Adams is not going anywhere and I would imagine you know one of the top three receivers in the NFL would probably make him very happy.

So he'll either get franchise tagged or he'll get an extension. Devontae ain't going nowhere. That's $20.1 million is what ESPN was reporting this morning, but we saw it as like $17 or $19. We forget what it is, but the franchise tag, that's a lot of money. That's guaranteed cash, too too in the one year with the salary cap gymnastics they're gonna have to do you're saying that they they're gonna figure out how the hell to keep davante adams around regardless right and they can do you know they can basically do a deal that's based on where the franchise tag would be

but make their cap number this year a little lower so like they could they could figure it out um and then the other part about Hackett. So like, let's say the Broncos hire Hackett, which they did a second interview him yesterday. Like, I think there's a real chance. Um, they will probably promote from within and make Luke Getze the offensive coordinator. He is apparently very, very good. He's been sought after for years as an OC. Um, I would imagine that would make, I mean, you could ask your tour podcast, you'd probably know, but I would think they'd make him happy.

That would make him happy. Okay, sweet. Last thing from me, and I think Connor has a question, and we can't thank you enough for joining us on this busy Tuesday where you have calls packed to the gills. There's a report. And the Peloton.

Yeah, you're part of that cult, huh? I mean, there's people that are part of that Peloton cult. I mean, it's changing lives. It's got Chuck Pagano's on that thing two times a day. CFO Phil's going 100% resistance every day, basically, on that. Good luck. That's a terrible idea. Well, this is one of those guys where you're playing ping pong with each other.

There's a chance he's not just going to be like, hey, good game, after you beat him. He's firing at my face. I got you. All right. Yeah, CFO Phil, he don't play fucking games, especially in the competitive sphere. I mean, a marathon tried to kill him a couple years back, and he's going right back at him. That guy started a marathon, didn't finish it. Now he's going to run two of them.

Huh? Didn't finish? Yeah, he almost died out there because of what we were just talking about. He tried to sprint with the professionals. Five-minute pace. And he tried to sprint with the professionals. Five-minute pace. And he tried to sprint with the professionals. He got 20 miles into that somehow. And then his body said, hey, we've been training for eight months, dude.

Yeah, and he went down. Yeah, but he was breaking records. Like, he's tracked on his thing. And I was, like, following along. Like, hey, how is he doing? This is our CFO by the way your CFO would never whoever's watching just want to let you know whoever's

watching this guy yeah he almost died out there trying to actually compete in the marathon as opposed to finish the marathon so that is wild hopefully he survives the next one yeah I mean that's the people we grew up with by the way are we doing a cheering squad there?

What's happening? We'll be there in the morning. It is a great drinking holiday. Yeah, I could hear from you. I'm not the beginning. Yeah, the Pittsburgh Marathon is quite a celebration in numerous different areas

of the city. So you go to different, they run through different areas and people have like bars. Yeah. It's a whole thing. Sounds fun. I'll go to the bars one of the best days of the year

St. Patrick's Day parade pretty big day it's a similar type feel marathons in every city I feel like become that type of atmosphere yeah you just drink and cheer on everyone it's great hey way to go you guys keep running we're having a much better day than you but you guys

thank you for doing what you guys did the last, I don't know, 18 months of your life or whatever. At some point, I guess it's just, you've got to knock that off the bucket list. Like I'd like to finish a marathon because marathon was founded. What? By the male person that died. Boom. Who ran 26.2 miles and died.

God. And they're like, you know what? Let's see if anybody else can survive this thing. And then we're going to make it an actual thing. That's crazy. Last question from me, though. Ian, we appreciate you for joining us. There's now a report coming out of Arizona,

and Jason LaConfora, I believe is his name. Is that Paisan? LaConfora? Got it. Sounds like it. Hey, how's the gabagool? Jason LaConfora says, gabagool, not great in Arizona. Arizona Cardinals ownership definitely not pleased with how the season ended.

Hearing coaches yet to receive their playoff bonuses. What does that mean? I do know, because I have friends in a lot of positions, that coaches' bonuses are massive to the coaches in the playoff. Sometimes that payment is worth more than what they're actually getting paid during the season. It is a big deal always has been it's a nice little cherry on top of the season but also it is at the owner's discretion i do believe players nflpa it's already agreed to i think the coaches it's actually in a class called the owner's discretion is that accurate

do you know anything about that and is jason hawk and for us i do know i do know he's not happy and he said it he was he was doing a i think it was a pre-super bowl event yesterday or something and he basically was like i'm not happy so yeah i mean the way it ended not happy he shouldn't be happy um it was a great a great season ended with uh you know like on the 21st mile of the marathon basically oh um yeah i Phil. See what I did there? Yeah, yeah. Phil. And so, you know, but as far as the coaches' bonuses, like I thought that was – I don't know, honestly. I don't claim to know, but I thought it was controlled by the league,

not the team. But it would seem to be pretty petty, but I just have not heard that. Yeah, not just petty, but also like, you know, it's going to be tough, I think, to get good coaches in there maybe if that is a precedent that is set, we obviously will keep an eye on it and hope that is not the case. Ian, we will watch your Twitter account this whole week. We can't wait to see you break some news, and we appreciate you every time for your time. All right. Thank you, guys.

Hopefully pretty soon. We'll see. Oh, this is that convenient. Way to go. What's your Twitter account? It's at rap sheet. Also, Sunday morning, 7 a.m. Had a good Brady story there.

FYI. No one saw. Yeah, we missed that. Why do we just click? Give a couple clicks. Why do you always break news at 5 a.m. On Sundays? Because I do wake up and go to your Twitter account to see what you've broken at 5 a.m. on Sunday.

Just so you will wake up and go to my Twitter account when you wake up, which I appreciate. Oh, so this is a plan, a strategy, or was there at one time you're not allowed to break news until Sunday? So you said, okay. With injuries, sometimes they'll be like, yeah, this guy's not playing, but just hold it till Sunday. I'll be like, cool, cool. Yeah, early morning. Cool, cool. 5 a.m. Yeah, yeah. It'll be 2 a.m. Also, get up. Don't be sleeping in on Sunday. It's go time. Let's go.

It's the Lord's Day. Yeah, come on. I'm waking up to pray. I'm trying to read the Book of Mormon. No. Well, maybe, depending on... Hey, it was a great great show have you ever met a mormon person actually and had a full conversation with him of course not yeah you of course go outside of your world yeah meet some people go outside of

your world one time leave your house i moved from new from New York to Mississippi and then Alabama. And talk to nobody. Yeah. Talk to nobody in any of these places. Do they have Mormons there, I don't think. Do they? I don't think. Hey, Ian, I want to let you know. If we get a chance to see you

Super Bowl week, I'm excited to see you mingle with people that you've obviously never encountered before. Wait till you meet this Italian guy from Pittsburgh. Wait till you meet this Italian guy from Pittsburgh. Wait till you meet Tone Diggs. I mean, it's going to be nice for you to experience life a little bit. Jesus. I feel left out because I've also never talked to a Mormon human being before.

I must have, right? Of course. I must have. Ladies and gentlemen, a man is going to broaden his horizons just in a few weeks. Ladies and gentlemen, Ian Rappaport. Thank you, buddy. There I see. So sorry to interrupt, but I want to let you know that if you're not gambling with FanDuel, you're wrong.

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Shout out to FanDuel. Shout out to you. Let's get back to the show. The big news right now, Sean Payton is out of New Orleans. He arrived in New Orleans. Sources have told him that Sean Payton has informed the Saints that he's stepping away. I got a Netflix show coming out. You guys are negative $71 million for the next year's cap space.

We don't have a quarterback. This last year without Drew was a nightmare. We had to cut like nine players before this season started. We didn't have a quarterback. It looks like you guys are going to have to cut another 20 to 30 players to get under the salary cap, even though it's the highest salary cap in the history. Sean Payton stepping away from the Saints.

I don't know if this is forever, but hell of a run down there in New Orleans. Thank you, Sean. AJ, your thoughts? I mean, this is a great job that just opened up, too. Are they going to hire from within, or do you think they look and go get someone that's out there right now? Great job. Elaborate.

Talking to me? Yep. I'm asking if they're going to hire from within or are they going to go out and start interviewing B-Flow and all these guys? You said great job though.

I'd like to hear why you think it's a great job. Just because the Saints have had success in the past and they have a good defense? Oh yeah. Yeah, I think their defense is solid. I know they have some cap issues,

no question, but I think when you look at organizations and coaches, because largely of what Sean Payton and Drew Brees have done to revitalize that whole place, I feel like it is a good job. They're both gone. The Saints obviously have a storied franchise. They beat a team that I was lucky enough to be on in the Super Bowl. Obviously, the city and the state and the region absolutely love them.

But whenever you're thinking about desirable positions, State and the region absolutely love them. But whenever you're thinking about desirable positions, $71 million over the cap is, I mean, that is so much money. I don't know how you get under there with still having great players. Now, is that $71 million with maybe Taysom Hill taking $40 million instead of what are you maybe getting at $15 million? Maybe there's some, you know. What's Taysom's number?

Yeah, I don't know. Because it could go up to $ 40 if he was to play quarterback. But it's also at 15, I think, if there isn't a chance he doesn't play quarterback. I understand that New Orleans is an awesome place. I love the Bayou. Oh, yeah. Love it. Come on.

You know, I love everything about it down there. I like the culture. I like the vibe. The Superdome is obviously so loud. As is the Silverdome, brother. Yes, right. But, I mean, it is so loud. It's awesome.

There is nobody that's going to want to go in there with a set, unless it's like their first head coaching opportunity or their only opportunity they've ever had. You are handcuffed immediately, and I think that went largely into the Sean Payton decision here for next year. On Spotrak, Taysom's cap hit next year is 12.3. Do you think about it as maybe a better job if Tom retires and it's the worst division in football?

Oh, yeah, because the NFC South have Ben McAdoo in Carolina. He's back. Artie Smith with Matt Ryan. That seems like to be the new leader in the clubhouse almost. And if Tom, B.A., and everybody basically in Tampa is gone, you would think they would have to do a rebuild of some sort. seems like to be the the new leader in the clubhouse almost oh yeah and if tom ba and everybody basically in tampa is gone you would think they would have to do a rebuild of some sort they have a great cap guru down there in mike greenberg so maybe it is a nice place to get into but you're playing with half a foot i mean that is no money that is i don't even know how you get

that much over the cap i don't even know how that's even, and I assume they'll be able to do some salary cap gymnastics, but that's handcuffing whoever goes in there, and how long are they fucked for? Is it just a one-year, we've got to kind of bite the bullet here, and this team is going to look much different, or is this a multiple-year thing where they're going to be fucked regardless of how high the salary cap gets? That's going to be something that a lot of people are going to ask their questions,

but Sean Payton out is huge news, AJ. It news agent huge do you think people that they bring in to potentially interview are almost going to be interviewing the saints themselves like you know i need to if i already take this gig i need to know that like i have a chance to win within the next five years here hey let's talk about it all right this place is awesome a head coaching opportunity there's only 32 of them but it feels like we're going on the field with a lot less tools than everybody else it just feels like we're up against it but there's some coach that'll go in there and embrace that the way they'll do their interview is you know like brandon staley he naturally just says all of the coach speak naturally that's why everybody thinks he's going to be a great coach there's somebody that's going to go in there though and

just be like, I don't view it as adversity. I view it as an opportunity. Okay, we have the ability to maybe build a roster with people that are paid less, but that chip on their shoulder will be able to unite them. And then whenever we get a chance to add to that with superstars, we'll be able to bring the Saints all the way back to where they were when Drew and Sean were running. And we'll make sure that the Saints franchise is the one that is remembered

because not only when times are good, but when times were bad, we were able to withstand it. Just like the people of New Orleans in this region, we were able to go, some coach will go in there and give that entire spiel because they can get paid five to $6 million being a head coach, as opposed to 500,000 or 700,000 as an assistant coach. There's going to be somebody that wants to go in there.

But whenever you said, this is a great job, my immediate thought was, I don't know if it's necessarily, if you start stacking it up against other jobs that wants to go in there. But whenever you said this is a great job, my immediate thought was, I don't know if you start stacking it up against other jobs that are maybe open. Nobody with an open coaching position is going to be a great spot. I'm saying as far as organizations, franchises that aren't looked at

as just no-win organizations and places where you can't win. That's not New Orleans right now. Oh, like Detroit. Yeah, okay. Fair enough. There's some jobs that come open every two or three years,. That's not New Orleans right now. Oh, like Detroit. Yeah. Okay. Fair enough. There's some jobs that come open every two or three years and it's like, all right, like, what do we, I don't know.

Let's see if you can do it, bud. Hey, you can become one of those too, right? I mean, the Browns were like that. And then now, I mean, they're staring down a Joe Burrow future and a Lamar Jackson future, which is not great, but they were able to turn it around and get their name off of that list. There were some teams we thought

were going to get onto that list, and obviously the Saints are hoping that's not the case, but that the business side of this thing is a very real part of the NFL, and that is, I mean any given Sunday, anybody can get a win, but $71 million working against you is a lot of fucking money. I assume that's not real, right? Because the salary cap's fake?

Yes, exactly. Packers are 38 over, and Rapshied said, well, they're not actually in that bad of a spot. Well, they've got to get rid of guys still. You've got to get rid of guys. Yeah, that's the thing. You've got to cut guys that have a big number or make them restructure big time. The Saints had to do this last year. And they still came back.

I can't wait to see Sean on TV. I want to see who hires him. Jerry Jones has always wanted Sean Payton. Oh, so he's stepping away and maybe coaching elsewhere? That would be hilarious. I saw a lot of rumors were saying that Jerry really wants Sean Payton, but he wouldn't fire McCarthy unless Sean Payton was available, and they have a really good relationship go way back.

So, I mean, maybe that's a possibility with how things ended this year for Dallas. Big Mike, the watermelons are going to be treated after this entire thing if that's the case. But I would assume Dallas, if he's going to coach again, I would assume Dallas isn't the only place that's like, hey, Sean, you maybe want to come take a little look-see up here with the team that we have? There's probably going to be numerous places, like Carolina.

But he's stepping away for a reason. Is he stepping away because he doesn't want to coach, or is he stepping away because of the situation in New Orleans? He feels like he's stepping away for a reason. Is he stepping away because he doesn't want to coach? Or is he stepping away because of the situation in New Orleans? He feels like he's done all he can there. Also, for anybody, like, it's good to be wanted. You know, people like to feel wanted. And Jerry, it seems like, has loved Sean since he was on the staff back in, what, 03 for two or three years?

Well, Jerry also loves that he had success. Yeah. Jerry also loves that. He loves the offense that Sean can run. 15 years, I think. That motherfucker over in Louisiana is supposed to be our quarterback coach. Our offense coordinator and our head coach. Hey, Sean, you fucking step away from that $71 million Titanic

and come on over to the star. Come on over to the star. Okay, coach, but Kevin James james playing me although he much be much better served to play coach mike mccarthy who's your current coach yeah we will fucking kick kevin james and mike mccarthy out of here joining us a man whose words are highly criticized every single time they happen we've been very fortunate to chit chat with this guy for every single Tuesday of the last two NFL seasons. Back to back MVP years this season, coming to a screeching halt much earlier than any of us could have expected on Saturday night.

Just days later with numerous questions to be asked about his future, his life, and all of his opinions. Ladies and gentlemen, the reigning, defending, undisputed MVP of the NFL, Aaron Rodgers. What's up, dude? What's up, dude? Hey, you look good in that blue. Yeah, I got some beef with you, bro. No, no, no, no, no, no. All right, go ahead.

Why are you trying to dog the best golf brand in the business? When I send you over a new carbon wood driver and then you're going to dog it on the air? I didn't know it was from you. I didn't know it was from you. There was no sign, no letter that said, hey, this is from Aaron Rodgers,

a man you have great respect for this is his club i didn't know that i didn't know that enough i thought it was just from taylor made nice scene i don't know 30 of them sent out to a bunch of people i didn't know this was specifically from you i that's on me it's great club oh love hey this great great gift one of the best gifts i've ever got in my life i think man it's it's gonna hit a ball a long way erin it's gonna hit a ball a long way that's better i didn going to hit a ball a long way. That's better. I didn't know, dude. I honestly didn't know.

I had no idea. I'd seen them all over the internet. I appreciate you sending that. That's very, very nice of you to share the wealth with your relationships and partnerships and sending one over here. And this is probably going to help me take $20 million from the asshole on the far right side of the screen here, AJ Hawk, at some point. Let's talk about life right now for you.

It's obviously any time a season comes to an end, it comes out of nowhere. And Saturday night in Lambeau with the way the weather was, with the way your team was, with everybody getting healthy, obviously that's a drastic ending there. Your thoughts here a couple days later on how it happened, why it happened, and where you're at right now, you think, i mean it's difficult uh anytime the season ends it's always abrupt definitely felt like we had a special special team this year be able to make a super ball run so it's frustrating to go out and play like that you know especially when our defense

returned a couple guys they were were playing incredible, you know, keeping out of the end zone. And then offensively not getting it done, and special teams not getting it done, was disappointing. So, you know, definitely a quiet locker room after the game, and the eeriness, as you both know, of

going back in the locker, and having guys kind of cleaning out their locker, and moving on, and the uncertainty of next year with so many people on the team, you know, definitely adds to the feeling. But I think, you know, when the numbness and the sadness and the frustration wears off, it allows perspective to start to fill the void and gratitude and appreciation, and I'm waiting to feel those feelings. Well, first off, when do you think those feelings may come?

And also going to that game, you guys came out of the gates on fire, went down, scored right away. That was the last time you were able to score. What did San Francisco do defensively that was so good? I know we like to talk about, oh, you guys only scored 10. There's a reason. I mean, San Fran's a hell of a defense. They're a hell of a team.

So what were they doing? They got a great defense. I think they stopped the run first. And they did a good job stopping the run. And then they got after us in the passing game. They did a nice job of mixing the coverages up, bringing some pressures. But

we didn't protect specifically great. We had a couple opportunities to hit some big plays. And, you know, we didn't protect specifically great. We had a couple opportunities to hit some big plays and, you know, didn't make them. But they stopped the run. I think that was something that they didn't do on the first drive. We were able to kind of get some – move the ball. I don't think we had a third down on the first drive.

And then had another good drive going. Fred had a nice punch on the ball to create a turnover. And we just couldn't quite get back in the rhythm myself included couldn't quite get back into a rhythm offensively until the uh the long drive got down there had a penalty and then couldn't get the ball in the end zone then obviously sputtered in the fourth quarter and had a punt block and and uh you know that was kind of all she wrote there i assume you psychoanalyze everything and try to, and I don't even know if I said that word right.

I know it sounds like that, whatever the word is, and I think you understand what I'm saying. Shout out to TaylorMade, by the way. These drivers. So good. Oh, my God. Carbon wood. Fucking bomb time. Yes, man.

Bomb time, dude. You know, your body double, Phil Mick, I think, uses the carbon wood now so oh i thought he was on calloway i was actually told strictly that uh lefty's calloway guy just like me is what i was told but well he used to win the pda championship he used the uh the tailor-made baby driver so um okay well i was lied to a lot it sounds like and that is probably going to continue to happen to me and i'll just continue to try and learn and get better from it but boy this fucking carbon wood i i was hitting balls down the middle of the street yesterday it was freezing cold still going that's right still

going i mean nobody knows if it'll ever stop might have a 900 yard drive but let's talk about fourth quarter there i'm sure you've looked back at it there was a couple times after the blocked punt to go out there and make a play i'm sure somewhere somewhere inside of you, you're like, okay, this is what we do. This is what we have been. We've been able to go out here and make these types of things. And anytime a situation or a game ends in the way it does, especially with you at the helm, that's going to bring out all of the haters, all of the stats, everything that is, you know, people are sitting on throw Rogan, you know, for weeks waiting for that moment that was trending alongside COVID and everything. Why do you think maybe the rhythm wasn't there?

And why do you think the results of you not having success bring so much happiness to so many people? Do you think it's strictly because you're an immunized son of a bitch? Do you think it's because of anything, any other reason? Or what do you think it is because of anything, any other reason? Or what do you think it is because of? Well, that's like five different questions. Yeah, just take it however you need to. Well, yeah, there's obviously some plays that I wish we'd executed better. You knew this was in the mix.

There were a ton of people tuning in, rooting against us for one reason and one reason only. It's because of, uh, you know, my vaccination status and them wanting to see us lose so they could pile on and, uh, and enjoy and rebel.

And the fact that, uh, you know, my vaccination status was, uh, you know, my vaccination status was, you know, some sort of reason why we haven't had success in the playoffs or whatever it might be, some sort of correlation. I think to have the perspective of an entire year of dealing with this and knowing that this was coming down the pipe at some point with the amount of guys that did get COVID throughout the year,

I knew there's a possibility that I would have to make comments about my own personal status and possibly be in the fire from it all. I think as frustrating as it's been at times, there's been a lot of reflection to try and embrace the empathy of the situation. And I think for so many people, it's really been a hard time. From a purely financial standpoint, so many of my friends who are small business owners in Northern California and really all over the country have really had a difficult time during the last couple of years. And from a pure mental standpoint, I think the biggest thing that people have been dealing with is fear. You know, there's so much fear around this. There's fear of your health. There's fear of your loss of money. There's fear of not being

able to provide for your family. There's fear of death, for sure, fear of sickness. And the media plays a big role in that. I mean, the fear porn that is put out day after day, I think, causes a lot of strife and stress for people. And I think because I don't watch the news or don't subscribe to the same type of mainstream narrative at times and have decided to take my own personal health and responsibility for my health in my hands and did my research and looked into things and also my association with other people who have done similar things. There's anger kind of thrown my way. But the root of that, I think, is fear.

And so I do have empathy for those people who are caught in this fear state around COVID that has been continuing to be pushed and furthered by media and by some of the narratives that are out there. And I do have empathy for that. The vitriol, the hatred, those words, to be honest, I've been insulated from it. I haven't seen a lot of it. I know it's out there. I'm sure it's out there. But I do have empathy for those individuals who have been dealing with this fear. Is the hatred based on the fact that I don't have that fear, that I've taken responsibility for my own health, possibly,

that I don't fall in line with a narrative, possibly. But I will say, I don't believe that hatred and fear and name-calling and any of this stuff is going to get us out of this pandemic. It's going to be love and connection and actually conversation and debate and information sharing and not information sharing that's fact-checked by the same individuals who are, you know, running the pharmaceutical industry. Whoa! Which is a lot of the, you know, when you look into some of those connections, it is interesting to see some of the connections between fact checkers and boards. And that's too bad.

I realize that I've been divisive this season by my vaccination status and by my willingness to talk about it and to talk about the research I've done in my own opinions and it's part of it and I take accountability for that I don't want I've never wanted to be a divisive polarizing figure on this. I want to encourage people, inspire people to think for themselves, to take their health in their own hands, to realize this is a pandemic of health, not the unvaccinated pandemic of health and encouraging, inspiring people to take, take their health in their own hands and to make healthier decisions and to think about what they're eating and what they're putting in the body and that their health is their own responsibility as much as mine as my own responsibility and hopefully i've inspired people

i'm sorry for those that think i'm just a divisive polarizing individual but my goal has been to individual, but my goal has been to, uh, inspire people to take their health into their own hands. And I hope that there's enough people. And I know there are, cause I've been hearing support from all over the country and world really, um, throughout this time, but I hope people continue to turn off the fear and, and do their own research and take care of themselves and their own health. And I hope that we can move past a lot of this and actually connect instead of continue to divide. Hey, that was nice. That was well said. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure you have plenty that you want to say you will over the next couple of months as everything plays out. But as far as your career and everything going on with that i know you want to take some time whatever like what factors go into your

decision making when you sit there and you try to figure out what your future may look like is that well you gotta wait till you get back to the beach house throw on some what neil young and just hang out on the beach and figure out what's going on or what do you what factors really matter to you? Oh, good one, H. Howdy, baby. I'm glad I'm up to date on my pop culture so I can understand your reference there. Oh, nice. Probably just not wearing the Chuck Berry shirt. you know, direction of the team and the organization and how I feel like I fit in the future mentally. You know, do I still have the passion, the competitiveness,

and the desire to keep playing? And I think it's a feeling that you just kind of know once you feel the offseason has started. You know, when you're a competitive, hyper-competitive individual, you also probably want, you dream or think about what the fairytale ending is. And it doesn't mean Super Bowl necessarily, but that's pretty damn good fairytale. You know, not many people have been able to walk off like that. I mean, Peyton did and John Elway did, but not many people were able to do that. So it comes down to more just how you're feeling. Can you still play? Do you still have the same

commitment and enjoyment with the game? And do you want to sign up for the grind again? And I think the only way of knowing that is to probably get away from it for a little bit, let your mind clear, and then think about it, you know, and think about the enormity of the task and what would bring you the most enjoyment. You know, what's the best for your quality of life at that point? So last year you said walking off the field, you knew, like you felt like, ah, this isn't it. Like, and then I guess there was actual retirement conversations between you and your people last off season. And we were not privy to that. And then when you came back and had your first day press conference, you basically laid it all out. What the last three, four months that was being scrutinized literally since draft day, without you saying anything the entire time what happened was you said you could feel it you

know walking off the field I think you told us that and you said once again I think this year you'd know walking off the field did you have any of that are you leaning towards something and at what point did you realize I should get away with this type of decision for a little bit and kind of clear my mind as opposed to being in the middle of the kitchen right now, with one of the most devastating losses I've experienced. Yeah, I mean, I think that's the biggest thing. I felt like I would know if we're in the Super Bowl at zeros what the right thing to do was, but not in the divisional round.

In a game, we felt like we were going to win. So it was a different feeling. I think even if we had made the Super Bowl, and regardless of the outcome, I think you have to get away from it and not make an emotional decision and take time because the enormity of the commitment to return or the decision to walk away i think warrants ample

time to contemplate and to communicate with uh you know friends and loved ones you know former teammates who've moved on current teammates who are still playing and you know i think you have to factor in all those different bits of information and then kind of see what it feels like intuitively inside of you and then make a decision and go with it and move forward. I think the thing that I will say is that it won't be – one thing I would not do, 100% would not do, is retire and then come back a year later. That's just – I don't have any desire to do that. That makes no sense. I feel like I'm at the place relationally with the Packers, in a really good place, especially with Brian and the way our friendship and trust has grown.

Yeah. Good to cut. Yeah. Where, you know, it would be a simple conversation and whatever comes out of that conversation is moving forward. There's not going to be any weird, you know, standoff, you know, war of silence or anything it's you know brian and i have had good conversations throughout the year and and when you know when it comes time

to make a decision we'll have a conversation and that'll be that there won't be it won't be a long drawn-out process and and i think that's what's best for me for him for the organization and for all the other decisions that need to be made. Okay, so I don't want to press you too hard, but you would say that all options are still very prevalent on the board, you would say. Is there, like, retirement is potential. You don't know until you get to that point, obviously, when you get away.

Staying with the Packers, definitely still option, especially with what you just said with Gunter Kuntz. I would have to get figured out because $38 million over the cap. There's a lot of decisions that have to be made, obviously. Going to another team, maybe experiencing free agency. Everything is still on the table in your eyes, you're thinking at this moment.

I don't think there's any. Free agency is not. I don't think that's an option. But I think everything is definitely on the table. There are things that seem more plausible or more likely which I won't necessarily get into but the most important thing is first the commitment to to playing and to go into the off season and training and all that's all that stuff is the most is the first and then after

that um it's just conversations with uh my agent and and brian and looking at the uh the desires of the team and and uh you know the kind of the mindset moving forward and then make a decision from there there is numerous cities that just obviously assume that you're going to be their quarterback next year and it sounds like if i'm getting your words right right now you don't even fucking know if you want to commit to being a player because the off-season workouts are a nightmare that people don't see they see pictures of you singing taylor swift they see pictures of you jumping off a waterfall they assume you're doing copious amounts of drugs all over the place maybe but that the work that it takes in the offseason is a very real one and

you're trying to figure out right now in your mindset whether or not you want to commit to that which then leads to obviously a fuller commitment of the entire season am i getting the state of aaron rogers correct right now well i mean i mean, the offseason, no, I'm not really thinking about that. I mean, the offseason has definitely my desire to be a full-time participant in the offseason. I just don't think I need that. I think what I need for offseason to continue playing is working with my body work people, training where I like to train in Southern California,

that to me gets me in the best position to go out and perform at the highest level. And mentally, I think that's the biggest thing, is what puts you in the right mindset mentally to come back and be your best self. The grind that I'm talking about is the grind of the season and all the different hats that you wear as a starter, as a team leader, as a face of the franchise. You're taking on that. I remember Farby talked about that when he retired in 2008. And I revisited with him a little bit one of the last times I saw him. Just that reminder that you don't know as a potential first-time starter as I was about

to be in 2008, you don't realize there's just a lot more than just playing football. There's the weight of the organization. And it's great. I mean, it's the opportunity's the opportunity, you know, to lead and to be counted on, but there's a lot of other different, uh, hats that you, that you wear throughout the year that are stressors, um, and are part of the job, naturally a part of the job. And I think when you take on the role of being the starter, you take all that on and you embrace it, but it's, you know, it's more than just, uh uh what you see on the sundays there's

there's a lot more uh to play a quarterback and and uh i think you're committing to all that when you commit to to coming back and playing how does it feel to be in this spot right now it's got to be kind of weird it's a unique situation all options are on the table and you seem to not even know really what you want he's not retiring dude you're not retiring, you're not retiring. Too good. You're too fucking good. But also, I did predict, though, Pat. I predicted the other night to myself that you were going to retire maybe and then come back after a year and win the MVP and win another Super Bowl. So that's wrong.

No, you're wrong. You tried to debunk that. We don't know. We'll see. We'll see whenever he does let it go. If all of a sudden, like, seven months in, he's like, you know, I still got this thing. And he comes on back.

So what is it like, man, being where you are right now? Devastating loss. You're obviously very, like, that is hard to like man being where you are right now devastating loss you're obviously very like that is hard to get over at least for right now but the rest of it going on like your whole future is in front of you and you don't really know exactly where you're going yeah i mean i think that there's there's not any fear for sure i talked about that last year with the i don't have a fear of retirement i felt i felt that during the off season so there's not any fear for sure. I talked about that last year with the, I don't have a fear of retirement. I felt that during the off season.

So there's not any fear around it. The uncertainty is not unsettling at all. It's almost exciting thinking about what life is going to look like moving forward. I think that it's just an interesting time because you're dealing with the grieving process of the season and knowing that that specific group of people, both teammates and coaches, just won't be the same. There's always changes.

And there's a grieving process that goes along with that. And I think embracing that is an important part of it, not like pushing that stuff down or ignoring it. I think it allows you to stay present, to have gratitude for the feelings and the emotions and the moments you've had with these guys. I think that's an important part of kind of wrapping up the season. The disappointment, obviously, of personal performance and the way the season ended,

I think is a real thing. You got to sit with that. You don't just push that aside. You take accountability for that. And, and, uh, you know,

and then I think when all that stuff kind of starts to pass, then, then that's when the gratitude comes in gratitude for the moments, gratitude for the memories, for the friendships, for the incredible highs that for the memories, for the friendships, for the incredible highs that we had, for the adversity that we faced. Some of that's definitely already crept in.

You cross paths with so many people in this business every single year. There's really special people. There's some people that impact you during the season there's some people that impact you uh you know during their careers and then there's some people that impact you for a lifetime and and and each one of those types of people is so important to the enjoyment of the season and i think you have a lot of gratitude when you see these people and you know as they're packing up a locker room or having a last meal in the cafeteria and and get to say you know some words to them uh you know that's when the gratitude comes out knowing that you went to battle with this person and i think that's where the connection is always going

to be there because you put your body in line with this individual and you know what it takes to stick in this league. And that's what is always going to connect us. And this is a moment in time. You know, this loss is a moment in time. It's a moment that will always be disappointing. But the friendships can surpass those moments and outlast always longer than those specific moments in time. And I'm very thankful for the friendships that I made, the new ones and the deeper and meaningful ones with some of the older guys.

Yeah, the locker room is such an incredible experience. People talk about that is what they miss whenever they retire. Like those moments either after a win, after a loss on the plane in the locker room on such an incredible experience. People talk about that is what they miss whenever they retire. Like those moments, either after a win, after a loss on the plane in the locker room on a Monday or Tuesday, either pissed off or happy about something. Everybody always chats about missing the locker room and missing their teammates for you. If you had to look ahead here,

and I know it's difficult to do, especially with all options on the table, do you feel like there's going to be a lot of, you know, constant, like you might make a decision and then the next day it's like, ah, I don't know if that's the right one. Or are you somebody who, once you get a feeling from the universe, it's like, all right, I'm going to stick with this one. I'm going to go with it. Like, how do you view the process

coming up? Are you going to write down on a dry erase board, the pros and the cons for like, how do you feel like this process is going to go and do you assume it's going to be very fucking difficult which i think we all are assuming i mean i don't know i mean it's it's uh i don't know about very fucking difficult i think it'll be uh it'll be a lot of intuition and a lot of uh and a lot of feel. You know, what is it? What is it? Imagination a lot as well.

You have to imagine yourself in those situations because I don't want to be sitting there during the season going, man, I probably should have hung it up. Or sitting there and, you know, not at the organization, a organization and going, I should be playing right now. So I think it's just the trust that I'll know exactly what to do. And then once you make a decision, that's a decision, and you're going for it. And until you get to that certainty, you don't make a decision. There also is a time frame for this because I understand that my decision does impact a number of other people's decisions. And I want to be very sensitive to that.

And so I will definitely make a decision sooner rather than later. What does that mean? What does that mean? Because everybody's saying free agency. AJ came on yesterday and said he would assume that you would make the decision before free agency. There were some reports on the NFL Network by Insider of Sports, Rap Report,

saying before free agency. Free agency is what, March 16th? Yes. I mean, that's a pretty long time. No, I mean, we are in day-to-day business. Are you expecting to have this decision done sooner than later in your eyes of what you said? And what does that mean, you think?

I think even sooner than that. I mean, I'd like to, again, be respectful of the organization. I think the most, you know, one decision that will be upcoming will be obviously Devontae and his future with the team. and his future with the team, there still is this thing called the franchise tag, which I don't think 17 wants the franchise. Like, no player ever wants the franchise. Ever!

But that decision on that, I believe, is in February, in late February. So 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, again, I do want to be sensitive to Devontae and many other guys who have decisions to make on their own futures. And to drag it out past Freight and Sea would be disrespectful to the organization and to those guys, and that 100% will not happen. You're not retiring, dude.

This guy, there's no way. We need to see you out there. You know, we need to see the cold-blooded killer out there, you know, with the turtleneck, with the snow globe falling, with the chance to ride off into the sunset and beautiful. But you do whatever makes you happy. We understand the commitment is great, and we appreciate you stopping by every single week and breaking the monotony hopefully of your weekly schedule to

chat with us about it all but what we don't see is all the hard work you know whenever you're doing 28 minute interviews with espn folks breaking the did you know immediately upon doing that uh interview with espn where there was some quotes i didn't listen to the entire thing was it a podcast or was it a i don't know what it was. I don't remember what it was, but you said you were being silenced and then you actually called out the president of the United States. So as soon as you say stuff like that, you know, the entire world is just going to burn down immediately. And is that something you have to think about going forward? Are you going to continue to be your true self and kind of speak for yourself like you have been the last couple years for the first time in your entire career yeah you know I knew that there

you know and he said it wasn't a hit piece but I knew that there was a piece that piece you know had obviously uh some interesting stuff in it. And so I, I don't know why he didn't think I would take the interview, but I definitely agreed to do the interview. There was definitely some, you know, some things in there that, of my quotes that,

were slightly, maybe not the specific context. That's based on how it was written and put together. No. But I do stand by everything I said, and it was some interesting questions. You don't get asked a whole lot, for sure. a whole lot for sure. But there were parts of answers that weren't entire,

like the answer I gave about the president was a longer answer. So some of the answers were pared down for sure. But, again, I stand by what I said in that interview. And I think to answer your question, and I've said it before about both you guys and, you know, the boys on the show. One of the main reasons that, you know, I have so much love and appreciation for you guys is because you guys are unapologetically yourselves. And you're authentic. I think, I mean, most of us, that's what we strive to be, right? We strive to be ourselves and to be authentic.

And I think there's parts of us that die inside a little bit when we feel like we have to act or play a role or not be able to be entirely ourselves. Right. And I think in society so often, we're either, like myself, super inspired by people who are unapologetic of themselves right because we realize how special that is how desirable that is and and it's people who are real and I think we're attracted to that in some way but there's also I think on the flip, I have people who can't for whatever reason, circumstances, job, fear. And there are a lot of those people who are acting and playing roles. I think there's an animosity that comes with people who are authentically themselves and are unapologetically themselves.

Because if you can't join it, you've got to have something on it. because if you can't join it, you've got to have something on it. You've got to damage it or disparage it if you can't be that type of person for whatever reason. I think a lot of it is fear. It's just fear of people. What if I am totally myself and I'm not liked or not appreciated or not understood? But the thing that inspires me is people who aren't apologetically themselves, that are authentically themselves,

and that understand that it's not going to be for everybody. It's not a popularity contest. You're not always going to be liked. You're not always going to be understood, appreciated, respected by people for whatever reason. But it doesn't stop you from being yourself over and over and over and over again.

And I think we in society need more people being themselves, not less people. More people being authentic, not playing a role or acting. But I do realize and empathize with the fact that there is a lot of fear around that idea because the structures you've created sometimes are structures that are based on perspectives or facets of yourself that aren't entirely authentic to your true self. And I've been inspired by people who are authentically themselves, and I'm going to continue to do that. Now, again, I'm not trying to be an activist or, you know, a person who's crazily divisive, but we're also talking about an issue that has gone from health to

politics. And so there is going to be division around the things that I say for sure. And I hope I can further a conversation and create more connection when those opportunities arise. And at the same time, it's not football season for me anymore. So I'm sure I'll slowly, slowly head into the doldrums of not being having my opinion out there as much. OK, I'll be great for everybody. Well, I think, well, not I mean, that's what I was about to say as we look back on this season. And there's a lot of people saying a lot of things. You know, there was some veteran

NFL coach that was quoted as saying, you know, all Aaron wants to do is talk about COVID and his vaccination test. Tom Brady just wants to talk about ball. Like, that's what Tom Brady, now there's a documentary coming out with Tom Brady. He has the TB12. He has his own Brady brand. He's an investor in Crypto, I believe. He's an investor in crypto,

I believe. He's also, I mean, everybody seems to have things, but people pick and choose what is a distraction and what isn't a distraction to becoming the best. And hindsight always wins, right? If you win, hindsight will say like, oh, everything was right. If you lose, they're going to get you. But I think as I look back on this year, and I did this last night, you know, I didn't know if you're going to come on today or later in the week, we would have been completely cool if you didn't come on today, by the way, because there's a lot of questions and you are still in that process of hating everybody because you lose. But I think if I'm wrong, please state this. And I get yelled at and I take it on the shins because of our conversations every week by people that don't necessarily agree with you. And I'm cool with it because I will always be a fan of hearing why people believe and what people believe,

especially those that are the greatest of all time in conversation. So I enjoy that whole thing. But I think early, whenever you did have that immunized comment, I think you didn't want to be the poster boy of players that were not vaccinated. And then you were thrusted into a position

because you are the reigning MVP of the NFL. You are Aaron Rodgers. You do come on this show every week. And then whenever you get put into the protocol of a non-vaccinated player, and it is the peak of the politicizing of the vaccination, you got thrusted into this role. So everybody is in, this does not mean making excuses for you. I'm just, I live this, I think alongside of you. And I don't think you ever wanted to be. You got thrusted in there. Now people are using that against you. Do you think about that when you look back on the season?

And will that be a part of your process of going through on what you want to do going forward? Because there's a chance you get thrown into the fucking biggest political thing of all time because you are a quarterback in the NFL and you are the MVP. And if you look back on this year, is that how you see it as well?

Like you didn't expect to do it, but now we're looking back. Throw Rogan is a real thing. Like you're the guy now in everybody's eyes. Djokovic has his situation in Australia. Immediately it's like, oh, Aaron Rodgers and Djokovic are going to cause a tag team to fight Fauci or whatever. Like that is the immediate thing. Did you expect it?

Do you like it? Do you hate it? Do you never want to be in this position again? and have you even got a chance to think about that well i think i've thought about that throughout the season and i just i really felt like at some point i was going to have to talk about it and i was interested to see how it would start and there was a witch hunt for sure who's vaccinated who's not who Who can we shame for not being vaccinated? That happened. I think as you watch the narrative of COVID change, you're going to see a lot of people recanting their statements, a lot of people changing history and revising what happened. We've already seen it, and I mentioned it the Friday I came on

when I was recovering from COVID, where, you know, people are saying I spread misinformation when I was saying that they politicized the vaccine during Trump's presidency, which they actually did. You're going to see the narrative change. You're going to see people walk back their statements for sure. During that time when there was a witch hunt going on, I knew at some point I was going to get asked. I was in the process of an appeal with the NFL that I mentioned in this article that came out of ESPN that had been a multi-month conversation with them. And the appeal hinged on the exact statement that I said in the interview, is that I've been immunized. Because in my opinion, and based on conversation with doctors that I consulted with and used to complete my immunization process,

that there we thought we had evidence to show the NFL that I had done not only what was best for my body, but what was best to protect myself and my teammates from infection at the time. So I had also planned, if there was a follow-up, on expanding on that. on expanding on that because, you know, I didn't want, uh, I wasn't going to, you know, slough off, uh, any type of, uh, a follow-up question. And I knew I was placing myself in the crosshairs had there been a follow-up. Now there wasn't. So in the moment I was thinking, oh, well, I'm, uh, you know, I might've, uh, you know, avoided this at the time, but also realized that that sentence that I used, again, was the crux of my appeal. Now, after a few meetings, more conversation with the league and a Zoom, I realized that my appeal the league proposed or, sorry, imposed on the non-vaccinated had nothing to do with health. They were more about shame than anything and trying to coerce higher vaccination rates. One of them being you're in a room

full of vaccinated reporters who are all over 20 feet away from you. Tell me how it makes sense health-wise to be wearing a mask. I just didn't think that had anything to do with health. I continued to not wear a mask. That's actually

not even what I got fined for. I got fined for going to a Halloween party. Poo shiesty, dude. With a small amount of people at the party, which it was a small amount, we're all vaccinated. And no one else at the party actually had an outbreak of COVID from that Halloween party. That's what I was fined for. But I knew I would be a part of the conversation at some point. for. But I knew I would be a part of the conversation at some point and was obviously hopeful I could avoid COVID and maybe talk about it at the end of the year. That didn't happen. I

was thrust right in the spotlight. I think at that point, you know, I just wanted to kind of defend myself. I feel like I was taking a bunch of crazy, you know, crazy shots and opinions. And, and, but ultimately this, this issue is so politicized. It's so triggering to people. Um, it's hard to hear words from a dissenting opinion. If you live your life in an echo chamber filled with confirmation bias. And I don't want to be an activist again. I don't want to be a person that's called upon to give constant opinion on this. That's why I've turned down all these interview offers from the Fox stations. I said it on this show. I don't want to do

interviews for cnn or for fox because politics is a sham i stand by that i don't want to be a politicized person i don't want my views bolstering the anti-vaxxers and triggering the vax people i want to be somebody who has an opinion who shares it who does research but it was also open to hearing from both sides because i think that's what we need more of in this in this country hey i think the interesting thing though the same people that are saying you were a distraction were the same ones that were like answer the question now you know so it was it was uh it was a never-ending cycle where you became the poster boy for the entire thing. And as a person that rode shotgun in this entire thing, I was like, I don't think he ever wanted this to be the case.

But now people are using it against you. You live a fascinating life. Yeah, but that's the way the narratives work. I think for so much of my career, I was an enigma because there wasn't a lot known about me off the field. And then when I started to open up a little bit more, I think last year people were like, oh, this guy's not bad. You know, he's interesting. You know, he's in a bunch of things. And he swears sometimes.

And he's, you know, a very honest person. And people liked it. Until I had, you know, an opinion that was anti a very triggering mainstream narrative. And then now I'm a pariah. Now I'm a distraction. Now I'm this or I'm that. But those are people's opinions, man. That's, it's like, it's like on the Big Lebowski.

That's just your opinion, man. You know, like I'm not going to let it affect me. They can use narratives and storylines just like they can use stats to prove whatever point they want. Don't. Hey, don't even. Okay.

Hashtag stat. You do not. Listen, stats play for every team and they're always right. Okay. So hashtag stat. Do not. Listen, stats play for every team, and they're always right. Okay? So, hashtag stat that. Dude, do not. All right?

Don't even think about on this program going after stat that. Okay? Please. Unbelievable. Sorry about that. Go ahead, AJ. Aaron, in 10 years from now, how do you think this whole year is going to be talked about that you've had?

By me or by other people? Others. Other people. Not you. Other people. Just around. Will anything change between 10 years from now? that you've had? By me or by other people? Other people, not you, other people. Will anything change 10 years from now? Do you think we will look back on this?

What will people say? Oh, I mean, people in the league will probably say, can you believe some of the protocols that were in place and what we went through? I think people, I don't know, it's tough. I mean, I think there'll be a lot of people thinking, hey, we should handle this better or should handle that better. I think I'll probably look back and say, yeah, maybe I shouldn't have said that at this point.

I wish I would have said it this way. But yeah, hindsight is definitely 20-20. Personally, I feel I've never played better in the face of such an adverse year, and I'm very proud of that. So this was such an enjoyable year, too, for all the reasons I've mentioned, plus Randall Cobb and his presence and coming back. But, yeah, I mean, I have so much gratitude for the lessons from this year.

I mean, I think in 10 years, the lessons that I learned personally are going to be still with me and be an important part of my constant growth and and uh and evolution and i'm thankful for all the highs and lows for sure because it was it was definitely a trying year at times but i think in 10 years uh man we'll look back and and definitely scratch our head about a few things from this season you think if you you were vaccinated, you'd beat the Niners on Saturday night? Oh, man. Got a book today? There's a book. There's probably one for sure.

Put in that for sure. Definitely. If it wasn't for the entire thing, that was the case. Ty, hey, I want to let you know, this entire season, just like last year, watching Ty get an opportunity as a diehard packers fan and a team 12 guy has been an honor ty i want to let you know that and i hope you've enjoyed the hell out of it and i assume you are shitting your pants for what the future is potentially for the green bay pack

well yeah obviously very disappointing with the way the season ended but i would be remiss again if i mean watching you play has brought me so much joy for such a long time and you know coming on this show every week and getting to sit in on these like it really is you know these are memories I'll cherish forever and I certainly hope I it wasn't the last game that you ever played as a Packer but I know that's a possibility but when you look back on this year do you think it'll be something where you look at this like in the offseason coming something where you look at this, like in the offseason coming up, that you look at this year singularly? Or when people start talking about potentially moving on and retiring or changing teams, like, do you kind of find yourself reminiscing about your career as a whole more? That's a great question, Ty, as usual.

That a baby, Ty! I've thought about that directly I feel like my career has been multi multi acts so many different parts I think about as a backup in 05, 06, 07

that feels like a different lifetime a different person early 20's different hobbies and things I enjoyed doing and approach. As a young starter, like 8, 9, and 10, totally, you know, those years kind of stand on their own. And then kind of a run from 11 to, I don't know, 15 or 16,

where, you know, I was playing really good football and excited. You know, just the level of excitement I had was, I think, equaled and leveled out by my lack of experience at times, too. And just the growth and the learning from each of those seasons was so important and and in my career and then uh you know really from i think 17 and 18 kind of the end of mike being here and and that being such an important era and part of my career and then kind of the floor era you know the last three years of a new scheme and new energy and new coaches around here and my own necessity to evolve and adapt and grow. I think when I think

back about it, it's kind of those snippets of time. As a whole, it's kind of enormous to think about you know I've mentioned I'm you know almost an adult as far as years I lived here and and my own evolution as far as where I've lived and what I enjoy doing and the restaurants that I go to and the things I like to do during my off time and you know there's just so much gratitude for the journey. I think that's what we all can look back on and be reminded of. When you're in it, it's such a process and there's a monotony to it and a groundhog day effect. But when you start to look back at these stretches of time or your career as a whole, the journey, man, is just so sweet. You think about the people that had direct impact on your life and then you can go past that you know being able to uh to meet people like craig rigsby and ron suzer and rick pittsburgh and john shepherd and sterling jackson and and jeff jordan and and jeff tedford and george cortez

and all these different people had such an important impact on my life. Who the fuck are they? Who is that group of people? It's high school and college coaches. Okay, all right. Yeah, cool. I appreciate them too, by the way. And just the impact that they had on my life.

And I think that's what makes a journey so sweet is to remember where you came from and where you're at and to have gratitude for those moments and those people and those times of adversity and those times of elation. And I think that's what always sticks with you. This year will always be special and unique for so many different reasons. But I think just the lessons that I've learned, the opportunity to share the book club with people and to share more of me, maybe more than people wanted at the beginning of the season as they soon learned about my own ideas about health and wellness. But I am thankful for all those moments and thankful for this community that I've lived in for so long

and the way they've embraced me and given me so many moments of extreme joy and gratification. Okay. Well, first of all, we'd like to say thank you for everything you've done. And also shout out to all those high school and college coaches, man. I love those guys. You know, I knew who you were talking about. I just knew other people potentially didn't.

And that's hosting. You know, it's obviously a weight to bear, but I am strong enough to do so. Are we going to get a book for the last installment of the Aaron Rodgers Book Club? That has been a smashing success. CFO Phil is here, so we'll be able to announce the amount of money that we raised for reading advocacy group of your choosing for the book club shirts and everything like that. We cannot wait to make that announcement you've made a real imprint here in a community that i never in a million years going to dreamed of being a part of uh never read a book but i'll get to it i'm gonna read

them all in the off season uh do you have another book and what is it oh yeah i was thinking about doing 1984 by george orwell a little on the nose nose. And then I realized it's been given some sort of designation recently that it has too much triggering information. Oh, Jesus. Is this a misinformation on a program? Am I going to get killed for what you just said? I don't know the book world enough. No, but I definitely have read 1984 by George Orwell, written in 1949, actually. And there are some striking similarities to the world that we live in today.

Okay. All right. But I don't have a book today. I was thinking about doing just a random pick of anything behind me. But actually, I was looking at the book list yesterday, and I just thought it was full and complete and i'm and i'm so thankful for all those books on there uh the cool thing i will say if you leave that up there so i can reference that and what i'm saying but i've heard from so many people this off season who said or sorry this season thank you for the book uh for the book club i just read fill in the blank the alchemist you

know i was just talking to a scout yesterday, one of our longtime scouts, and he goes, you know what? I read The Alchemist this year. It was awesome. I usually read historical fiction or historical non-fiction. It was a great break for me and I'm thankful for that. I've heard from people who read Krakauer's book.

I got to have communication with John, who's been a favorite author of mine for years. And, you know, to highlight, you know, Mark Manson talked about The Subtle Lord of Not Giving a Fuck, you know. He made a reference to it. And all the other self, you know, realization books on there, You Are the Universe, Ram Dass' book, you know, are super on there. You are the universe, uh, Ram Dass's book, um, you know,

are super deep and meaningful to me to highlight Alex Trebek's book. Um, you know, for the role that he's played in so many of our lives, it was pretty awesome. Obviously the power of now I see on there. Um, what else do we got on there? I'm missing the giver. Multiple people came to me, recommending the giver. It was fun to, to go back and read that one again. I remember being in seventh grade and having to read that. I heard from somebody recently who said, you know what? The last book that I'd actually read was The Giver, so I thought it was important now, 20 years later, to go back and make the first book I've read since then The Giver again. The stories about people interested in reading has been has been really cool i'm thankful for that and thankful to uh to spread you know some of those books that i personally read one of these days pat i hope that you don't rely strictly on

connor to to give you the info on that but but there are some there are some good books out there uh in a world, a hypothetical world where things fall back into place you know and we end up doing this again which is which according to you is the only that I went MVP's

no no no no no no no I never said that you know definitely expanding on the book club and finding some more organizations to help and encouraging reading advocacy would be pretty awesome too. Well, I think you've done a great job

and you've opened my eyes. I mean, the Book of Mark there, the subtle art, not giving a fuck. That guy's selling SIGs at the age of 12 or something like that. I was doing it at 10. Kindred Spirits being the book of Mark. I can't wait to hopefully read that someday.

Or next year, Pat, he could be in studio with you next year. He's wearing a blue hoodie and yeah, maybe he could be in studio with you playing for another team. I hope not. I want you to be in Green Bay. No, no. The whole team is built. Team is ready to go. Team is stacked. We've got an MVP in the

backfield as well. We started this conversation literally with me saying, oh, you look good in that blue. And then allegedly the internet has heated up, but that is your life. Everything you do and say or hint towards is going to get speculated upon. We're excited to watch on as you make a decision that's going to affect a lot of lives. I think what we should do, it would, it would be fun just to, you know, troll some people who dislike you because, you know, you give me a platform to spread all my misinformation.

But in the past, I've enjoyed leaking, you know, like when I re-signed, I hit up James Jones. I believe it was just because I love JJ and he's like the anti-media media guy he's so fun on TV and such an amazing teammate but some of us who

played with him have given him the first info and I know it pisses off the pros the shepters, the rapaports who are great at what they do I know it probably doesn't make them feel great but if I the pros, the shepters, the rapaports, who are great at what they do. I know it probably doesn't make them feel great, but when I come to a

decision, I should probably come on your show first, right? Come on in, dude! Come on in! Whenever the water's... I'll come to Indy. We can do it in person. Put the uniform on.

Oh, yeah. Yeah, do the whole thing. It'll be great. It'll be like a high school person, you know. And they're either picking up like the golf visor, I'm retired. Everybody fuck off. Or if you're doing the whole thing, we'd love that. We'd appreciate that.

And even if that doesn't happen, I want to let you know we're all pumped for you, thankful for you, and hope that you can find happiness forever in whatever you decide. I appreciate that. I appreciate you guys. And come on the show. It's a lot of fun. Thanks for the forum to talk about things that are important to me. And thanks to all you guys for asking some good questions as opposed to, I think, some of the rhetoric out there.

You do ask some tough questions. AJ probably more than anybody because he has a subtle way of weaving in these inside jokes that him and I have had for the rhetoric out there. You do ask some tough questions. AJ probably more than anybody because he has a subtle way of weaving in these inside jokes that him and I have had for the last 15 years in a way where nobody quite understands it except for maybe me, him, his wife,

Nate Weir, Spencer Havner, maybe a couple other people. But I do appreciate our time every single week. It's a lot of fun. You guys do an incredible job. I'm so happy for the money you guys have gotten to keep doing the show. You guys deserve every freaking penny of it.

And keep doing you. Keep being unapologetically yourselves and authentic to your true self, which is why people love you, why they tune in, and why folks like myself want to be on the Pat McAfee Show. So keep up the good work, boys. Much love. You know, I

was going to play a little Iris, maybe. Oh, yeah. Yes, yes, yes. But I thought a better song would be Time of Your Life, but I actually lost the sheet music, so I'm not going to do that. Oh, whenever you come. Whenever you come.

Whenever you come and do the whole thing. When I come, yeah. When I come, we'll play a little bit of that. Hey, when I come, you come. A little Green Day. A little Green Day. We all come. We all come.

When we all come, we'll make this whole thing happen. We appreciate you, man. Thanks for stopping by. Our show ain't shit without people like you stopping by, giving us conversations. We're very thankful for the opportunity two years in a row. Last question, actual question. You win the MVP or don't win the MVP?

Does that change anything in your mind? No. Okay, cool. So it doesn't matter. Yep. All right, well, we hope you win, obviously. It'd be cool, obviously. But you deserve it as well

ladies and gentlemen the reigning defending undisputed mvp of the nfl who's staring down an offseason that the entire world is going to be looking at golfing with taylor maids ladies and gentlemen aaron rogers. That was awesome, AJ. Hey. Yeah, man. It's good. I feel like we got a lot. I get attacked by people that don't watch the show often

for how long my questions are. And I like to let people know that that is my strategy. I like to ask a question, and then I like to get the bullshit cliche answer out of the way in my question so we can maybe get to the next layer right like let's i'm gonna give this answer if you give the same answer i just gave you they know they can't do it let's go a little bit deeper i know that you are blah blah blah blah blah blah

blah blah which is normally the first answer but how come sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't didn't get him a chance i didn't get a chance to chat about, you know, that game, why the rhythm was off. I think he talked about their defense being good. But the chat about his future, man, is so fascinating. I don't think he's retiring. I don't think he's retiring. Do you, AJ? I mean, maybe. Who knows what's going to happen over the next two weeks, but it doesn't feel

like that was a conversation with a man who's done with football. I mean, yeah, especially after the way that he played all year. I have a hard time seeing him step away right now. Me too. But I have no clue. I don't know. I mean, honestly, I don the way that he played all year. I have a hard time seeing him step away right now. Me too. But I have no clue. I don't know. I mean, honestly, I don't think he knows, so we'll see. Well, he said he's going to feel it. Intuition, his gut, kind of the universe, which has kind of been

the book club all year. Excited to watch it. To all the boys, thank you so much for your hard work. I love you guys. Love you, Pat. That's the end of Aaron Rodgers Tuesday, Season 2. Pretty good. Yeah, not bad. Not the end quite yet. Season 2. Oh, not bad. Well, not the end quite yet. Season two.

Oh, season two. Season two. So now it will be season three. Season two. The announcement will be a, it's like a Duanta bonus. It's a Christmas special. It's a Christmas special, and then we'll go on, hopefully, to season three. AJ, incredible work.

We appreciate you, buddy. Thanks, guys. You didn't do that to Aaron. You didn't give him the answer. I did. We did. I did. I did. Oh, you did? Okay. You just didn't do that to Aaron you didn't give him the I did also I think it would be only right if we

snap that thing no I think no I'm going to keep it by the way I was thinking the entire time and I wanted to say to Aaron we would have known that you sent it if you had sent one maybe to you and Ty so you're expecting more out of the gifts

not for me for Ty to you and Ty. Okay, so you're expecting more out of the gifts. Not for me. For Ty. If you look in a gift course, and I'm not... I wouldn't have had a note either, though. Hey, let's not forget that this Aaron Rodgers Tuesday is presented by Arby's.

Look, you know we love Arby's. Our go-to order is the beef and cheddar with no red ranch. Add a little bacon and curly fries with cheese, it never, ever fails. Right now, on the $2, two for six menu. Two for six dollars. Yeah, two dollar signs on there.

On the two for six dollar menus, you can get the classic beef and cheddar, white cheddar mac and cheese, and the premium delicious nine piece chicken nugget. Full size sandwiches and meals with the high quality meats you can only find at Arby's. They don't shrink them down to a junior version like you might find elsewhere. That's two full-size Arby's meals for $6 daily. The best deal in the game. Go get yours today. Let's go. Beef and Cheds.

Beef and Cheds, baby. Can't beat them. Nine-piece nug. You can get a beef and ched, nine-piece nug, curly fries. You're going to have to pay, what, like 50 cents for the cheese or whatever. $6. What a deal by Arby's. What a day for, you know, good conversation with folks.

Thank you all so much for allowing us to be a part of your day-to-day. The fact that you allow us to penetrate your ear holes, I will be eternally grateful for it. Hashtag end of pod squad. Tweet where you're at. Ty Schmidt's been going through giving out free merch to folks. And I think we got to catch up on some, you know, last week's entries as well. We're so appreciative and grateful that you allow us in your lives. And once you get sick of us, we very much understand you move on and just don't tell anybody about it. But if you

like this show, please be a friend, tell a friend. We're back tomorrow with another big one. Ty, please play some independent music and propel these people into a beautiful aaron rogers tuesday evening Thank you. Outro Music សូវាប់បានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបា Thank you. សូវាប់បានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបានបា Outro Music