Once the Detroit Lions officially defeated the Packers and eliminated them from playoff contention on Sunday night, the focus then shifted to Aaron Rodgers and the possibility that the Green Bay quarterback has played his last game in the NFL. Of course, Rodgers' future with the Packers and the NFL, in general, has been a rollercoaster for the past few years, but the four-time MVP did seem to be a little more sentimental this time around.
As he walked out onto the field following the game, NBC cameras caught Lions wideout Jameson Williams go up to Rodgers and asked him for his jersey. Rodgers then declined that request by saying, "I'm gonna hold on to this one."
Jamo asked Aaron Rodgers for his Jersey and Rodgers said “I’m going to hold onto this one”
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) January 9, 2023
👀 👀 👀 pic.twitter.com/6DnrUaQBCN
Is Rodgers holding onto this specific jersey if it is the final one he'll wear in his playing career? That's the speculation, at the very least and certainly fueled the flames of a possible retirement.
"There's just some special ones that I like to keep," Rodgers said postgame when asked about declining Williams' request. "It was nothing against Jameson. I'll make sure I send him one, but, yeah, I kind of wanted to keep this one."
When asked specifically why he wanted to keep this jersey, Rodgers replied: "Well, it's night game, Lambeau, Week 18, there's just certain jerseys that you'd like holding on to. Like playing Chicago or big Sunday night games, it's just a little bit different, I guess. It's not keeping it. It's a cool one to give somebody you really care about."
Beyond this little exchange with Williams, Rodgers was peppered with questions about his future and the 39-year-old quarterback was candid that he'll take time to decide what his next move will be, while also acknowledging that he still feels like he is physically capable of playing at a high level.
"It's a little raw right now," Rodgers said. "It's just a little bit after the game, so I wanna take the emotion out of it and have conversations and see where the organization is, and see how I feel after some time has passed."
Had Rodgers and the Packers been able to win on Sunday night, they would have clinched a playoff berth and a matchup with the 49ers on Super Wild Card Weekend. Now, that spot goes to the Seahawks and Rodgers once again enters a murky offseason.
