Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets have endured a disappointing season, and one NFL legend believes it's time for the quarterback to call it a career
07:00, 01 Nov 2024
Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets quarterback, has been advised to retire by a fellow player from his 2005 Draft class. Despite starting the season with Super Bowl hopes, Rodgers and the Jets have not met the high expectations set for them across the league.
They entered a 'Thursday Night Football' game against the Houston Texans with a disappointing 2-6 record - placing them last in the AFC East. Rodgers and the Jets bounced back from a tough first half to claim a 21-13 win - but only after he was told before the game he should consider hanging up his cleats.
His season so far has been a stark contrast to the incredible success that Rodgers has enjoyed over his illustrious 20-year NFL career. Since being picked by the Green Bay Packers as the No. 24 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, he has become a four-time MVP, Super Bowl champion and 10-time Pro Bowler.
However, Shawne Merriman, a former All-Pro linebacker who was drafted 12th overall in 2005 by the San Diego Chargers, believes that Rodgers currently seems like a shadow of his former self. "Look, Aaron Rodgers will always go down as one of the best quarterbacks that ever did it, period. And no one I think will ever deny that, but Father Time gets us all," Merriman exclusively told Mirror U.S. Sports.
"And I understand him coming back after tearing his Achilles last year... because you don't want to walk away from the game that way. But I think we are seeing the age, you know, his inability to get out of the pocket. I mean, sometimes when he's even getting pushed down, it looked like it hurt. He's just kind of rolling down and struggling to get back up and looks frustrated and beat up."
Rodgers has faced numerous health issues this season, throwing for 1,896 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Merriman urged the 40-year-old to consider retirement to avoid damaging his legacy.
"Look, he's done everything. There's nothing more he can do in the game," Merriman said. "There's just nothing more he can do."
"I think at this time in his career, you don't want to tarnish what you've done. Right now, we say when a lot of guys get older, you don't want to let the sinking ship be viewed by everybody who remembers you as a great player.
"He's made a ton of money. He's a Super Bowl champ. He's a Hall of Fame player. There's nothing more you can accomplish in this game," "So there's no need to get out there and force yourself to do things you don't need to unless he has something he wants to prove to himself."
Merriman knows firsthand the struggles of declining play, having experienced it himself in 2010 after leaving the Chargers and joining the Buffalo Bills.
"It's unfortunate that we all kind of got to witness the decline. I went through it, when I had my injuries and I came back I just wasn't the same player," he admitted. "I was watching film and said, 'Man, this is not who I was three, four years ago.'
"And I'm out there, I'm okay [but] I'm just not explosive like I used to be. And I couldn't turn the corner like I used to or change direction. I wasn't the same player and it eats at you. So, I'm sure it's eating at him a bit because he's played at the highest level and considered one of the best to do it of all time."