Sporting retro sunglasses and a T-shirt paying homage to a problematic employee from a workplace sitcom, MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to work Tuesday.
The Green Bay Packers quarterback reported to Wisconsin’s Lambeau Field Tuesday morning, signaling a potential end to speculation on whether the NFL’s 2020 Most Valuable Player would lead the Packers offense this year.
The Packers celebrated the quarterback’s return on social media by posting a photo of Rodgers to their official Twitter account on Tuesday. The text of Tweet was simple, but said enough: a pin showed Rogers was located at “Lambeau Field” for #PackersCamp.
Rodgers is back under a new arrangement
ESPN’s senior NFL writer Adam Schefter reported that Rodgers, who’s been publicly frustrated with Packers management this offseason, had renegotiated a new agreement with the team this past weekend to ensure that the quarterback would return for at least one more year.
- That agreement — which may not yet be official, according to ESPN — includes several concession for Rodgers, like the opportunity to be traded out of Green Bay after the final down of this upcoming season.
- The concessions would also include “mechanisms” for Rodgers to address issues with the Packers, according to the Deseret News.
On Friday evening, Rodgers and Green Bay Packers receiver Davante Adams each shared a photo of famous basketball duo Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to their personal Instagram accounts, Sports Illustrated reported, intentionally creating more mystery around the quarterback’s return.
- The photo was taken from ESPN “The Last Dance,” a documentary that tells the story of Jordan’s final year with the Bulls, according to Sports Illustrated.
- The now-deleted “posts beg one obvious question: Has Rodgers, unhappy with the direction of the franchise, decided to return to Green Bay for one more season to team up with his close friend Adams, who is entering his final season under contract?” SI’s Bill Huber wrote. “Or did their last dance end with the loss in the NFC Championship Game against Tampa Bay in January?”
Will Aaron Rodgers be the new ‘Jeopardy!’ host?
The MVP hasn’t not been shy about his desire to replace the late (and loved) Alex Trebek as the host for “Jeopardy!” Rodgers has said he grew up watching the trivia game show and even won a 2015 game of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” according to the Deseret News.
The quarterback has argued that he can host “Jeopardy!” and continue to lead a quality football team.
- “I don’t think I’d need to give up football to do it. They film 46 days a year. I worked 187 this year in Green Bay. That gives me ... 178 days to do ‘Jeopardy!’ So I feel like I could fit 46 into that 178 and make it work. It would be a dream job for sure,” Rodgers told The Ringer.
Rogers, 37, has been with Green Bay since the 2005 season and is ranked as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.
- The Packers drafted former Utah State Aggies quarterback Jordan Love in the 2020 NFL draft, a decision that many saw as a surprising pick with three-time MVP Rodgers still on the roster.
- “With my situation, look, it’s never been about the draft pick, picking Jordan,” Rodgers has said about the Packers drafting a young QB, the Deseret News reported. “I love Jordan. He’s a great kid. A lot of fun to work together.”