The NFL free agency floodgates could soon open … at least once Aaron Rodgers finally makes his decision.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback, who insisted it won’t be long before his future is known, is still deliberating said future, or at the very least, hasn’t let it get out. We still don’t know for sure whether the four-time MVP is going to retire, return to the Green Bay Packers or force a trade that could make him the next quarterback of the New York Jets. That waiting game officially overlapped with the beginning of the NFL’s free agency tampering period that began Monday at noon ET.
It’s certainly a consideration for teams across the league. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reported Monday that “teams and agents waiting to make moves as many believe it’s the biggest domino to fall to get this free agency going.”
Rodgers is keeping the cards close to the vest, too. Given his frequent appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show” and his close relationship with the former Indianapolis Colts punter, it’s understandable to believe McAfee might have a little inside knowledge. No dice on that one, either.
So, we wait.
Rodgers’ decision is a huge one not just for the Packers and Jets but other teams across the league, as Russini noted. There’s a secondary quarterback market that largely could fall into place regardless of Rodgers’ decision, but there are also players like Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s reportedly getting interest from the Las Vegas Raiders and Houston Texans, but if Rodgers decides he’s out on the Jets, New York could want to get an audience with Garoppolo before he makes his decision. There’s also the seemingly unlikely (but apparently not impossible) scenario the Raiders might be monitoring the Rodgers situation and could get involved.
Rodgers has been fairly insistent on saying he wasn’t going to drag out his decision. However, his much-ballyhooed darkness retreat ended two and a half weeks ago, and he’s already been in talks with New York for at least a week.
If Rodgers, as part of this entire dilemma wanted to grind the NFL news cycle to a halt, he’s more or less done that by now.
