Despite putting up Most Valuable Player-caliber numbers, the Packers quarterback implied that his off-the-field controversy may impact his chances at a repeat.
With the NFL regular season coming to a close and playoffs are around the corner, there’s one honor that has people talking—who will be dubbed this season’s MVP?
The leading contender, despite controversy surrounding him this season, is Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but he did not seem fully convinced during Tuesday’s appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. Instead, he suggested that something may be impact his chances of a repeat.
“Let’s not put the cart before the horse,” Rodgers said.
“We did last year,” McAfee reminded, but the Green Bay signal-caller replied that last year's campaign was different. This season, Rodgers said, “certain statuses might come into play.”
Rodgers is likely implying that voters won’t pick him because of his COVID-19 vaccination status and the public fallout over the last several weeks. He had previously revealed on the show that he is unvaccinated after he said he was “immunized” when asked during an August press conference.
Rodgers stated during his early November appearance on The Pat McAfee Show that he has an allergy to one of the ingredients used in the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, leaving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine as the only other option.
He was also vocal about his thoughts on the NFL and NFLPA’s COVID-19 guidelines before the latest update, specifically taking issue with having to be masked at press conferences as an unvaccinated player.
“Some of the rules to me are not based in science at all,” Rodgers said in early November. “They’re based purely in trying to out and shame people. Like needing to wear a mask at a podium when every person in the room is vaccinated and wearing a mask makes no sense to me.
“If you got vaccinated to protect yourself from a virus that I don’t have as an unvaccinated individual, then why are you worried about anything that I can give you?”
Prevea Health later announced that it ended its partnership with Aaron Rodgers less than a day after his chaotic initial appearance on the show.
Despite the off-the-field controversy, Rodgers has been putting up MVP-caliber numbers this season, throwing for 3,977 yards and 35 touchdowns with only four interceptions.
As another season wraps up, the question was posed about the status of Rodgers’s future with the Packers. He has previously revealed that he has not ruled out retirement just yet, and on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, he mentioned that he has already given a lot of time to the game he loves.
“I didn’t start playing until eighth grade, obviously four years in high school, played three in college," Rodgers said. "[This is] my 17th [year in the NFL]. At some point, you know, the ride stops and you got to get off."
“You know, you want to, I think, still be able to play, still be able to walk, still be able to have, you know, cognitive brain function when you’re done playing. Those are important. I’ve really been trying this year to just stay in the present as much as possible.”
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For more Green Bay Packers coverage, go to Packer Central.