From interesting haircuts, discount double checks, a Super Bowl win, MVPs to controversy and an unceremonious exit from Green Bay, Rodgers has lived many NFL lives in his two decades on the gridiron. The quarterback’s profile has only grown in recent years as a wildly successful NFL career has wound down.
Rodgers was a great NFL quarterback. Now it’s almost as if he’s preparing for his NFL afterlife, but not in the traditional sense that most players follow. Rather than pursue broadcast opportunities, aside from hosting ‘Jeopardy!’ and sit behind a desk on Sundays, the current Jets quarterback and former Packers great is dipping his toes into the political waters.
Between darkness and ayahuasca retreats, Rodgers is into everything. In fact, the new career path he’s charted almost landed him with a chance to be the second most powerful person in the free world. In Netflix’s ‘Enigma’ documentary, Rodgers peeled back the curtain on many things, including how he was offered the opportunity to go from NFL sidelines to the White House.
Here’s some of the biggest off-field things from the revealing documentary.
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Was Aaron Rodgers offered RFK’s VP spot?
It had become a standard joke during the 2024 offseason that the Jets lost Rodgers to an Achilles injury four plays into the season and would then lose him to politics after that. While the idea seemed far-fetched, it turns out that Rodgers was offered the Vice Presidential nomination for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s presidential campaign, on a hike.
‘Have you thought about going into politics?’ Kennedy asked Rodgers.
Rodgers explained that he first got into politics as a sophomore in high school, pointing to the assassination of Kennedy’s uncle, John F. Kennedy, as the window into it. The quarterback remained skeptical of the reports given by the government.
‘This is what they said happened? This can’t be real,’ Rodgers said. ‘Then I went to [University of California] Berkeley, which is a crazy political environment. It’s super leftist, and I grew up in a really conservative small-town environment, so that was fun to have my ideologies tested.’
Rodgers, who isn’t a fan of America’s two-party system, told Kennedy that he finally had hope when RFK announced his candidacy. The presidential candidate offered the quarterback the VP spot, something the Jets’ signal caller ultimately turned down.
‘I love football. I want to keep playing, and I hated the way last year went,’ Rodgers said. ‘There’s still some unfinished business in New Jersey.’
Aaron Rodgers comments on being immunized
As for his on-field play, Rodgers was the subject of plenty of criticism surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. In many ways, that presented the downfall of his public image for plenty of fans.
He famously declared that he was, ‘immunized,’ and was later revealed to have skipped out on the COVID-19 vaccine.
‘We never did the flu shots growing up, my dad just didn’t believe in it,’ Rodgers said.
The then-Packers quarterback added that everyone in the organization knew his status.
‘Everybody in my (expletive) circle knew I wasn’t vaccinated, everybody on my team knew I wasn’t vaccinated,’ Rodgers said.
Rodgers’ reputation has never recovered from that.
Aaron Rodgers’ Jets future up in the air
While the quarterback continues to insist that he’s had unfinished business in New Jersey, the results haven’t been there in 2024. The Jets are staring at another likely top-10 draft pick along with an offseason that promises plenty of change.
Rodgers has been better in the latter half of the season, but it remains to be seen whether New York will welcome him back for 2025 or look to cut bait after a failed experiment. Debates will rage on about whether the 41-year-old will be better as he’s furthered removed from the Achilles injury, but the Jets will ultimately have the final say.
If he were to be released, it’s a question whether any other team looks to sign him.
Either way, winning continues to be the cure in the world of sports. If Rodgers were to stick around and the Jets were willing, perhaps there is still time to repair what’s become a fractured relationship between quarterback and fans.
After all, time does heal all wounds.