EXCLUSIVEDowncast Aaron Rodgers looks to the ocean for answers as he faces toughest call of his life
A solemn Aaron Rodgers was caught pensively strolling along a Malibu beach on Tuesday night as NFL fans told him to retire with his future up in the air amid free agency.
The shoeless 41-year-old quarterback was alone at sunset on the Pacific Coast, where he was seen sporting a backwards baseball hat and a blanket wrapped around his torso.
Rodgers is wearing headphones in the candid pictures, but it's unclear if he was listening to music, a podcast, or perhaps taking a call with his agents concerning his next team.
The Jets planned on officially releasing Rodgers at 4pm EST, leaving the team with $49million in dead money on the books entering the 2025 season. Rodgers will be designated as a post-June 1 cut, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. And by doing that, the Jets can reduce his $21 million cap hit for 2025 to just $14 million, while taking a $35 million cap hit in 2026.
The New York Giants are interested in the free-agent quarterback, a league source told DailyMail.com, while multiple reports have linked Rodgers with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
His former Green Bay Packers teammate Brett Favre has suggested Rodgers follow his own path by joining Minnesota Vikings, and ESPN's Kevin Seifert has reported there is some interest in the former Super Bowl winner in the Twin Cities.
Is Aaron Rodgers thinking about his future in the NFL or simply looking for a moment of peace?
A solemn Aaron Rodgers was caught pensively strolling along a Malibu beach on Tuesday night as he continues to ponder his NFL future amid the league's ongoing free agency
The shoeless 41-year-old quarterback was alone at sunset on the Pacific Coast
Rodgers is seen sporting a backwards baseball hat and a blanket wrapped around his torso
Rodgers is wearing headphones in the candid pictures, but it's unclear if he was listening to music, a podcast, or perhaps taking a call with his agents concerning his next team
But if you're looking for real inside information on Rodgers' future, don't bother asking his friend and ESPN host Pat McAfee.
As the former Indianapolis Colts punter and Pittsburgh native told his audience on Wednesday, he has no idea where Rodgers plans on playing next season.
'We know nothing,' McAfee said of his friend and regular talk-show guest. 'I do not know anything. You can text him and call him. But what if he doesn't answer… like, for five days or so… which maybe has been happening?'
McAfee said he's gotten some response from Rodgers, but nothing indicating where he plans on playing next season.
Some fans have taken to social media in response to our exclusive pictures to call for Rodgers to retire.
The ESPN host did tease Steelers fans a bit my re-posting an old 2021 interview with Rodgers, who speaks lovingly of playing for Pittsburgh native Mike McCarthy in Green Bay.
Rodgers even credited Pittsburgh as a 'great blue collar' town, while praising Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin as 'a fantastic coach who knows how to lead and [who] players love playing for.'
But while that clip offered some encouragement to Steelers fans, who recently watched backup Justin Fields agree to a deal with the Jets, it may be irrelevant to Rodgers' upcoming decision.
If there is one thing that is clear, it's that Rodgers struggles to understand a Pittsburgh accent.
'That was most of my career with Mike in the headset was trying to figure out what the hell he was saying,' Rodgers told McAfee in 2021, much to the Pittsburgh native's amusement.
If you're looking for info on Rodgers' future, don't bother asking ESPN host Pat McAfee
Aaron Rodgers' 28 touchdowns were tied for seventh with Buffalo Bills MVP Josh Allen
Despite a laundry list of issues on offense with the Jets in 2024, Rodgers finished eight in the NFL with 3,897 yards – more than eventual MVP and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. What's more, Rodgers' 28 touchdowns were tied for seventh with Allen.
The Giants hold the third pick in next month's NFL Draft, and could consider quarterbacks like Colorado's Shedeur Sanders, Miami's Cam Ward or event Ole Miss star Jaxson Dart.
And even if the Giants do add Rodgers, his presence wouldn't preclude the team from taking a quarterback in the first round, provided they're willing to spend the year as his understudy.
Whichever team misses out on Rodgers could turn to Pittsburgh's 2024 starter, Russell Wilson.
