Before making a major decision to part ways with the Green Bay Packers after 18 seasons, Aaron Rodgers embarked on a unique journey. He spent four days in a completely dark room, a practice that he calls darkness retreat. This fascinated his fans, but it seems it had a positive impact on him as the experience helped him manifest his plans.
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In his recent appearance at the ‘Keep Hammering Collective Podcast‘ with bow-hunting athlete Cameron Hanes, the 40-year-old quarterback opened up about an important moment in his career. Aaron Rodgers revealed that he manifested his future with the Green Bay Packers, during those four days in the darkness retreat.
Aaron Rodgers revealed that on his third day of the retreat, he deeply thought about what his life would be like after football. He acknowledged that for many people including him, their job becomes their identity, and when that job is gone, it is like losing a piece of themselves. This can further lead to feelings of depression. Aaron Rodgers stated,
“I really wanted to sit with all the fears and insecurities I had around who am I, if I’m not a football player, and so I spent the entire day, which was probably like four in the morning until 10 o’clock at night, thinking about life after as a retired player after football. And really, by the end of the day, I had a beautiful piece about who I was without football.”
So, he spent the entire day thinking about who he would be without football, facing his fears and insecurities head-on. By the end of the third day, he had a clearer picture of himself, which he found incredibly valuable.
The next day he shifted his focus to what his life would look like if he continued playing. Despite feeling he had more to offer, he also felt strongly that his future might not be with the Green Bay Packers, and just like that six weeks later he finalized a deal with the New York Jets.
Green Bay Packers Also Sought to Part Ways With Aaron Rodgers
During his darkness retreat, Aaron Rodgers began his each day with meditation and followed it up with a long yoga session. While he was lost deep in his transcendental meditation, he focused on his intentions for the day.
For the first two days of his retreat, Rodgers didn’t think much about football. But then during his last two days, it was all about the game. Interestingly during this time, the Green Bay Packers too seemed to be considering a change in their quarterback situation.
“Now, during that time, they had also decided corresponding with my darkest retreat, whether intentional or not, that they were probably ready to move on to. And so although it was a little bit tenuous at times, the breakup ended up happening over the next six weeks.”
Rodgers felt this was happening at the same time as his retreat. Even though it was a bit uncertain, the eventual breakup between Rodgers and the Packers did not happen until April.
In April 2023, Rodgers got traded to the New York Jets, and in July 2023, he signed a big contract worth $112.5 million with them. But things didn’t go as planned in the 2023 season. He played only one game against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 before suffering an Achilles injury. Sadly, this injury kept him out for the rest of the season.
Now, he is gearing up for a comeback this season, and the New York Jets are counting on him to lead the team to the playoffs.
