The questions were similar to those that had been asked of Aaron Rodgers for a number of weeks now. But the queries had more of an urgent edge now because the 41-year-old signal-caller and 20-season veteran and Hall of Famer-to-be is about to finish his first full season — and what may or may not be his last Jets game — as the Green & White's quarterback on Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
Rodgers was in a contemplative mood as he thought anew about what had gone before and what may lie ahead.
"I'm trying to stay in the moment," he said Wednesday after the Jets' walkthrough practice in preparation for the Dolphins. "But of course, it's been a long career. I'm really proud of what I've been able to be a part of, what I've been able to accomplish.
"And I'm also looking forward to a nice mental and physical rest."
The rest will come for Rodgers back on the West Coast for an unspecified period of time. No "darkness retreat" this offseason, he said with a smile. But he put into words just how much of a grind the past almost 16 months have been after his Achilles tear early in the 2023 season opener.
"This feels a lot like after a rookie year," he said. "You go from training and playing a season, then training the entire offseason. You're ready for the combine, then going to a new team. And so there's not really any break."
Then he referenced the long stretches that his former Packers teammates, WR Jordy Nelson and T David Bakhtiari. endured working their way back to the active roster from injuries.
"Until you experience the grind physically, you can't quite relate," he said. "But now that I have, just feeling like you've got to just rehab nonstop for a long amount of time kind of wears on you. I need a break mentally. I don't want to make a decision until I've been able to rest mentally and physically. Since Sept. 11 last year, it feels like I've been rehabbing and training just to get to be able to play in training camp."
Even though it was New Year's Day, Rodgers evoked thoughts of Thanksgiving when he talked about this past year and this final game of the 2024 season just ahead.
"It's been an interesting year for sure, a lot of really special things in the last year and a half," he said. "A lot of trying times as well. But I'm thankful for the way the guys made me feel welcome when I came in last year, thankful for the fans and the excitement I felt both last year and at times this year, thankful to be healthy. So there are a lot of things to be thankful for even in the midst of a trying season."
Rodgers sounded to some media members as if he's already contemplating not only moving on from the Jets but perhaps even from the game he loves. But he said it's too soon to make any definitive statements about his future for a while.
"I'm just resigned to the reality of the situation. There's going to be change here," he said. "If I'm a part of the change, then I just want to make sure everybody knows I have nothing but gratitude for my time here. It's been a great experience all around. I'm disappointed about the performance with myself and as a team, but really thankful for the opportunity. If I feel good about coming back and they want to make another run at this, that'd be fantastic. But I'm not naive to the situation we're in.
"I don't take it personally. It's not a weird feeling," Rodgers said of the questions about what the new Jets will want to do this offseason. "If I want to play and they don't want me here, the I'll see if there are other options. But first I've got to wrap my head around doing the grind one more time."
But before another offseason and preseason grind will come some time getting reacquainted with grains of silica on a beach near him.
"I just need a break to refresh and put my feet in the sand," he said, "and see where I'm going after that."
