In Aaron Rodgers’ Hall of Fame-worthy career, it’s hard to argue that last season was among his worst. Given his competitive nature, sitting on the sideline game after game must have been incredibly tough. Surprisingly, however, it turns out that this wasn’t the lowest point of last year for him.
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In his conversation with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Jets quarterback revealed that, contrary to popular belief, his lowest point of last season wasn’t sitting in the MetLife Stadium locker room after his injury. In fact, it was the aftermath of the injury that truly shattered him.
The Super Bowl winner informed Breer that the initial days after the injury were especially crippling, making it difficult for him to manage daily activities. What made things worse was his aversion to relying on painkillers for relief.
This further intensified his misery. And Rodgers dreaded the initial days after surgery, during which he could do little more than sleep and rely on help to go to the bathroom. He said:
“The low point was not just sitting in the training room at MetLife, after it happened… It was flying home [to California] and then really the first 13 days not being mobile. It was hard. I had surgery out there with Dr. [Neal] ElAttrache.”
“Having people take care of me, and I can’t really move, it’s a whole ordeal to just go to the bathroom and sleep. You’re in pain. I’m not a big pain med guy,” Rodgers continued.
In his 20+ year career, the star quarterback has commendably endured just three major injury layoffs: two broken collarbones in 2013 and 2017, and a torn Achilles last year. While the first two injuries saw A-Rod return to finish the season with Green Bay, he couldn’t do the same for the Jets, underscoring that his injury last year was the most severe of his career.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as the long time away from action also had a silver lining.
Rodgers admits embracing retirement while out injured
For A-Rod, the extended time away from the game provided ample opportunity to reflect on what life without football might be like. In his debilitated state, as he watched the Jets struggle, Rodgers began to experience what life after retirement could feel like. While it was uncomfortable initially, A-Rod gradually adapted as the reality set in:
“It felt like retirement… It was a good [thing to feel], to sink into the fact that I’m away from the team… Having nothing to do with it gives you a whole new perspective. You really feel what life without the game feels like. It was a beautiful gift to be able to feel comfortable without the game.”
Does this mean this might probably be Rodgers’ last season? Not at all because the off time also made him realize how much his heart yearns for football. His extraordinary effort to recover from the injury was driven by this passion.
Though he failed at it, Rodgers’ hunger to continue at the top level hasn’t faltered. In fact, it has only risen after the setback last year. Arguably, we might be in for an all-time season from Aaron Rodgers this year!
