PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers waxed poetic about the game he's spent the majority of his life playing. After practice on Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers ' quarterback spoke of "beauty in the mundane" and basking in the day-to-day operations of being a professional football player.
"I feel like there would be a little hole in my life missing without having this chapter," Rodgers said as his team prepares for a do-or-die home primetime matchup with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.
Is there more to be written in the 21-year veteran's book after this go-round?
"I'm thinking about this week, but obviously, I'm 42 years old, and I'm on a one-year deal, so I know what the situation is," Rodgers said . "When the season ends, I'll be a free agent. … There'll be options, I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still wanna play.
"This experience has been even better than I was hoping."
When Rodgers arrived with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers during the summer, the indication was that this would be his final stop on the way to Canton. One more season, he said, to remember why he loved the sport so much. Now, though, he's hoping he can remain healthy for what could be ahead.
"I hope I can get through this stretch and feel good physically so that's not in the conversation," Rodgers said.
Rodgers said he's played how he would've liked at times this season, but there's a major factor that's played in.
"Any time you're in a first-year offense, there's always some growing pains within the offense," Rodgers said. "It's always like you feel like if you had another year, what you could do. … I used to tease ( Green Bay Packers head coach Matt) LeFleur about this all the time. I was a game manager in 2019 and a game impactor in 2020 and 2021. I think a lot of that is just familiarity with the offense and with the guys.
"The more years you get in a system with the same guys, the more continuity you have (and) the better you feel like you can play."
Now, the question is whether he'll decide to enjoy the fruits of a second year with the Steelers, play elsewhere or hang his cleats up.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Last Game? Aaron Rodgers Updates His Future Plans
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