Green Bay Packers

Will Aaron Rodgers follow Tom Brady into retirement?

Published Feb. 2, 2022 5:19 p.m. ET

If Aaron Rodgers decides to drift into retirement in the coming weeks, he'll have a tough act to follow.

Consensus GOAT Tom Brady hung up his cleats on Tuesday, calling it a career after 22 seasons — 20 of which he spent with the New England Patriots and two of which he spent in Tampa Bay.

The outpouring of love and adoration levied at Brady upon his announcement was astronomical, from the NFL, its players, and even a few iconic entertainers.

Despite finishing first in the NFC this season at 13-4, the Green Bay Packers came up short in the divisional round, falling to the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field.

And with that, it looks to be back to the drawing board for the Packers — which could include a change at quarterback.

Rumors have swirled that Green Bay could entertain trading the legendary Rodgers after 17 seasons with the franchise. And Rodgers has said that he did not want to be a part of a rebuild, given Green Bay's difficult salary cap situation heading into the offseason.

Rodgers, notably, has also not taken retirement off of the table. But could he really hang up his cleats in the wake of Brady's announcement?

Skip Bayless says no.

On Wednesday's edition of "Undisputed," Bayless laid out how Brady's retirement put Rodgers in a no-win situation.

"I think Aaron Rodgers has seriously contemplated retiring now. If he has, that would put a stop to it for me," Bayless said. "I want to follow that act? Who would want to try that?"

Skip Bayless on how Tom Brady's retirement impacts Aaron Rodgers

While it's been a day since Tom Brady's retirement, his counterpart Aaron Rodgers has been flirting with the idea of retiring since last offseason.

If retirement is off the table for Rodgers, due to Brady's scene-stealing announcement or simply because he wants to keep playing, Mark Schlereth does believe the quarterback still has control of his own destiny, which he discussed on "The Herd."

"You talk to people right now around the league, and they'll tell you he holds the cards," said Schlereth. "I think his cap number is like $46 million, so if he doesn't choose to work with them, they can't fit him plus the rest of the team under that situation."