Aaron Rodgers’ retirement talk has ESPN’s Dianna Russini yawning.
During an appearance Tuesday on the “Keyshawn, JWill & Max” radio show, the NFL reporter was less than thrilled to discuss Rodgers’ recent comments, in which the Packers quarterback, 38, said he could “see the end coming” of his playing career.
“Congratulations, Aaron Rodgers,” Russini said, sarcastically. “You now get the headlines again. Because guess what we’re talking about to start off this football segment? Aaron Rodgers, again. We did this all last year. Now we’re going to have conversations about him retiring?”
Russini was referring to last offseason, when Rodgers distanced himself from the Packers and skipped all of training camp and preseason over issues within the culture of the organization, fueling speculation that he would retire.
Rodgers raised eyebrows this week with unusual candidness about his eventual retirement, telling TNT’s Ernie Johnson that he thinks about calling it a career “all the time.”
“When you commit, you’re 100 percent,” Rodgers said following his victory at “The Match” golf event Wednesday with Tom Brady. “But the older you get, the interests change, and the grind, I think, wears on you a little more. The football part is the easy part. That’s the joy.
“It’s the other stuff that wears on you and makes you think about life after football,” he continued. “Tommy [Brady] obviously set the bar so high with playing so many years, but I can definitely see the end coming.”
Although retirement is clearly on Rodgers’ mind, the reigning NFL MVP decided to come back for an 18th season, signing a three-year extension in March worth a reported $150 million.
The veteran quarterback will turn 39 in December.