15 years worth of Aaron Rodgers photos in 2 minutes
Check out 267 Aaron Rodgers photos in 127 seconds as photographed by Journal Sentinel photojournalist Mike De Sisti since 2008.
Mike De Sisti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Much of Aaron Rodgers’ life is out in the open for everyone to see. In recent years he became a regular on popular podcasts where he shares everything on his mind, is the subject of books and allowed cameras to follow him around for a Netflix documentary.
But one thing he likes to keep out of the spotlight: his private life. Or at least he does these days.
While his exes like Shailene Woodley and Danica Patrick certainly don’t hold back when sharing their feelings about their past relationship with the former Green Bay Packers quarterback, Rodgers stays clear of these conversations.
He recently said he’s in a serious relationship with a woman named Brittani but that was all people got. Some wonder if he’s married, though even his closest friends don’t know. And he has stayed mostly mum on the falling out with his family, a topic that has been well-documented.
Rodgers was asked about balancing his private and professional lives during a question-and-answer session at a live taping of the “Ya Neva Know” podcast with rapper Mike Stud, in Austin, Texas, this month.
“It’s important to have your private life private when you’re a public person,” Rodgers said.
It was one of the many topics Rodgers addressed on stage with Stud during the podcast, which was released last week on YouTube.
Here are a few takeaways.
Aaron Rodgers on his personal life and setting boundaries
Asked by a fan in attendance about keeping his professional life separate from his private life, Rodgers said it’s about “good boundaries.”
“That’s the most important thing,” Rodgers said. “Our job is 24/7 during the season. I like to always be thinking about ball. You can’t let personal problems into the professional and professional issues into the personal because once they do, both suffer.
“There’s been a lot of times in my life, personal’s been (expletive) and the professional been a refuge. Hard for that to last long because it always leaks in.”
Rodgers acknowledged while there’s no hiding from his professional life, he tries to take a different approach with his private life.
“But it’s a balancing act,” he said. “My private life is very quiet. And that allows me to kind of stay in my lane and enjoy my stillness and silence off the field.”
Rodgers appears on “The Pat McAfee Show” every week during the season and often makes headlines for his opinions and theories about current events and politics, but he rarely discusses private matters. And while he did give an interview for the biography “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers”, he didn’t provide any clarity on the cause of the much-publicized separation with his family.
Rodgers goes on ayahuasca retreats where he has noted using the plant-based drug has helped him overcome a fear of death and that it opens “the veil between the seen and unseen world.” He also participated in a darkness retreat a couple years ago at Sky Cave in a secluded forested area in Oregon to clear his mind and find peace.
“In order for me to recharge and be my best playing, I gotta be taking time and working on myself in my personal life,” Rodgers said.
After two disappointing seasons with the New York Jets, Rodgers continues to be a free agent, or as he told the crowd, “I’m unemployed.”
The 41-year-old Rodgers previously said because people in his “inner inner circle” were dealing with “difficult stuff” his priorities aren’t on football this offseason.
If he were to return for a 21st season, the Pittsburgh Steelers likely are the front-runners to land his services. But one fan in attendance asked Rodgers about a different team: the New Orleans Saints.
The Saints need a quarterback after veteran Derek Carr retired this offseason.
“Would you ever consider playing for the Saints and making us great again?” the fan asked.
“No,” Rodgers said bluntly. “That’s the answer. No. I’ve played there a couple times, but no, the answer is no. I’m too old, I don’t want to live in Louisiana.”
Another fan asked Rodgers if he would play for the Bears.
Really? Do these fans not realize their team selected Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and is their future? And don’t they know Rodgers’ history against their team?
Anyway, Rodgers’ answer was as expected and he was polite about it. But his response also might have offered a hint that he might not be done “owning” the Bears.
“No,” Rodgers said about never suiting up for the Bears. “But I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year on a road trip. I don’t know. I’ll have to check it out.”
The Steelers play the Bears on Sunday, Nov. 23, at Soldier Field. Rodgers didn’t say the Steelers as this team but the point was well taken.
“I love Chicago, though, way more than they love me,” Rodgers said. “It’s been a great relationship — all one way.”
Aaron Rodgers on his legacy
Rodgers’ football legacy is cemented whether he plays another snap in the NFL. He’s a four-time league MVP, a Super Bowl champion and Super Bowl MVP with the Packers, a 10-time Pro Bowler, the most efficient quarterback in NFL history and fifth all-time in passing touchdowns.
He’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the time comes. His gold jacket is waiting for him in Canton, Ohio.
His charitable work in Wisconsin and beyond was often done behind the scenes but is also a huge part of his legacy. And while Rodgers has become a lightning rod in recent years as he became outspoken on podcasts about COVID and vaccines, getting into a public feud with Jimmy Kimmel and entering political conversations, he often says he never cares what people say about him.
He echoed that on stage in Austin.
“I don’t care about my legacy,” Rodgers said when someone asked about what he wanted his legacy to be.