Green Bay Packers legend Aaron Rodgers offered a surprising take on potentially retiring with his former franchise. The four-time MVP is grappling with whether to return to the NFL, likely with the Pittsburgh Steelers, or to hang it up. Rodgers is 42 and coming off a trying season with the New York Jets. While there was some friction when the all-time great left Green Bay a few years ago, Rodgers and the franchise seem to be on decent terms now.

In a recent interview on the YNK podcast, the veteran quarterback discussed the potential of ending his career with the Packers. Rodgers responded in an eye-opening way.

“There's a lot of love for me and how I feel about the team. If I do or I don't (retire as a Packer), I don't think it should make a difference. I'm not sure yet. If they approached me about it, I probably would. I've thought about that, but I don't understand what the reason for that is. At the same time, I grew up a (San Francisco 49ers) fan, and most of my favorite players retired as a Niner. Jerry Rice, who went to three other teams, came back and retired as a Niner, so I understand the cool thing about it. But if I didn't do it, would that make a difference in how I'm viewed in the Packers' eyes?”

The Packers have been the standard in the NFL when it comes to stability at quarterback

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Green Bay Packers quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (12) and Jordan Love (10) run out onto the field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.
Kim Klement-Imagn Images

Green Bay has seamlessly transitioned from the Brett Favre era to the Aaron Rodgers era to now the Jordan Love era. Love had another stellar regular season with the franchise, throwing 25 touchdowns and posting the fifth-best QBR in the league. That said, it was a struggle for the 26-year-old in the sole playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Love threw for three interceptions against the eventual Super Bowl champs as the Packers could not build on their surprising playoff run from the previous season. Still, the young quarterback is the answer under center for this franchise going forward.

Head coach Matt LaFleur's team is trying to take that good-to-great jump in 2025, which will not be easy in a vaunted NFC. Still, it says a lot that the franchise was able to let an all-time great like Rodgers walk and immediately become stable under center. The long-term planning of this front office has always been impressive compared to others, even when, for example, Rodgers was playing at an MVP-level. While Aaron is certainly not in the organization's future plans, and may even play in 2025 for another team, retiring as a member of the Packers would be a feel-good ending to this story.