What did Tom Brady and Hall of Famer Steve Young have to say about Aaron Rodgers’ possible retirement?
Perhaps there is nobody better placed, to offer an opinion on the idea of leaving the professional game, than either of the two legendary quarterbacks.
Two of the NFL’s all-time great quarterbacks recently offered their two cents on another great’s possible retirement. Needless to say, there was some interesting perspective that came out of that conversation.
Tom Brady and Steve Young weigh in on Aaron Rodgers’ possible retirement.
It’s fair to say, that Tom Brady and Steve Young have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to playing as a quarterback in the NFL and more importantly winning championships. Indeed, between the two of them there are 10 Super Bowl championships - Brady’s got seven and Young three - and a number of MVP awards. That’s precisely why, their recent conversation about four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers was so insightful. The Packers’ signal caller saw his season come to an end with a crushing 20-16 defeat on “Sunday Night Football” which means Rodgers and Co. won’t be making a post season trip this year. Following the defeat, the Packers star spoke openly about his future in the game and the idea that he would be taking some time to reflect ahead of his coming free agency in March.
What did Steve Young say?
Where Steve Young is specifically concerned, the former 49ers legend spoke of a metaphorical death during an appearance on a recent episode of Brady’s “Let’s Go!” podcast. While addressing the topic of Rodgers and retirement, the Hall of Famer Young gave comment on what it’s like to come face to face with the idea of the end. “What he’s [Rodgers] contemplating is, in my mind, a death. And who chooses death?” Young said on Tuesday in a reference to retiring from professional football. “Because when you’re the best at something in the world and then you leave the game and the next day you’re not that anymore and you find out, you know what, I’m not actually even good at anything else. ...So you end up wanting so much to go back to the thing I was great at. Not because you want the adulation and people to tell you that you’re great, like there’s something that you’re great at. And as a human being you don’t want to [Brady said “suck”], that’s my highest and best use.”
“What [Rodgers] is contemplating is a really difficult thing, and people have no idea - having been there and felt that and have to deal with it. I always tell people, ‘The next day you’re at the bottom of a cliff in a broken sack of bones. And then you gotta stand up and start doing something different. But it’s never going to be the same. It’ll never be as all-encompassing, every bit of yourself poured out every week. There’s nothing like it. And that’s why Aaron is sitting in that spot, looking over the cliff going, ‘I don’t want to fall down there. I don’t want to go there. I don’t.” And that’s really [how I] viscerally feel him today.”
What was Tom Brady’s take on Aaron Rodgers’ situation?
Of course, having recently courted with retirement himself, Brady’s opinion was always going to draw more attention. If you missed it, the Bucs QB spent just 40-days in retirement after announcing the move in February of 2021, which is to say that he knows a thing or two about the cliff and falling off of it. Additionally, the seven-time Super Bowl winner also appreciates - now more than ever - the importance of taking time to contemplate such a decision. “Steve brings out the perfect point,” Brady said. “Those are absolutely legitimate feelings and emotions. And I think the most important thing is the day after the season, and I made this mistake, is not to decide the future.”
Ultimately, we will have to wait and see where Rodgers is concerned. It’s worth noting that it was just a season ago that Rodgers made the decision to re-sign with the Packers on a three-year, $150 million contract extension prior to the franchise tag deadline, however, the signal caller has since said that he “won’t hold ‘em [the Packers] hostage.” At any rate, whatever Rodgers decides to do will have to be made public knowledge before the Packers complete their offseason roster review. Watch this space.