As Tom Brady races into a new, uncertain world beyond following his retirement from the NFL, Aaron Rodgers prepares to plunge into the darkness to find the light and the future before him.
The league, not known for its Christian values, will be on its knees praying Rodgers will make a very different decision than the seven-time Super Bowl champion.
Brady announced his retirement for the second – and final – time on February 1, ending one of sport’s greatest careers.
Rodgers could follow suit after flirting with retirement again this season, fueling speculation since the Packers missed out on a playoff spot with a loss to Detroit in the final week of the regular season.
An NFL without Rodgers would be a devastating hammer blow and would make the league a legendary quarterback lighter. Regardless of how one views Rodgers’ revelry in darkness, hallucinogens, or anti-vaccine rhetoric, North America’s biggest reality show will be poorer without him.
Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are two of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history
Rodgers could be an immediate retirement after Brady as his future as a player is currently unclear
He and Joe Rogan (R) have a strong relationship, with Rodgers calling him a ‘good friend’ at 21
Brady confirmed this during his Lets Go! Podcast about Sirius XM this week.
“I hope he doesn’t retire,” Brady said. “I think the league needs good quarterbacks and he’s one of the greats. So when he retires it will be a sad day for the league.”
Rodger’s method of coming to a decision was widely derided. The Green Bay quarterback announced Tuesday that he would be entering total darkness “later in the week.”
The four-time NFL MVP will endure “four nights of total darkness,” and not just to wrap up his pro career.
Rodgers will have the unique experience in a specific house where he will be given food through a “two-way slot”.
“It’s been months and months and months on the calendar… it’s a room, it’s a little house. They’ll bring you some food, but it’s isolation and darkness, no music, no nothing. Just myself, isolation,” revealed the 39-year-old.
“I’m still in the art of thinking about my future. After my isolation retreat I will be ready to make a decision.’
WHAT IS A DARK RETREAT?
According to the Hermitage Retreat website – it is unknown if the Rodgers company is involved – a dark retreat is “an unparalleled experience of intense seclusion in which the practitioner is deprived of all light and sensory distractions and thus plunges into a deep witnessing.” consciousness of spirit and finally experiences the perception of the inner light of pure consciousness.
“Retreating into total darkness is a practice common to many of the ancient and contemporary spiritual traditions around the world.
“From the monks and lamas of Tibet to the Kogi Mamos of Colombia; to the ancient Egyptians and the mystics of 15th-century France, dark retreats have brought revelation and enlightenment to countless practitioners seeking inner light.’
Each request to participate in a Darkness request is considered individually. Participants receive two vegan meals per day.
Rodgers has routinely employed unique practices to advance himself and broaden his horizons.
Prior to the 2020 and 2022 seasons, Rodgers used ayahuasca – a South American psychoactive brew used in shamanic spiritual medicine.
He has spoken glowingly about its impact on his mental state and alleviating a burden held by many.
“I was definitely scared to death,” Rodgers said. “And ayahuasca and psilocybin [mushrooms] In fact, it’s really helped me with that and relieved a lot of the stress associated with the idea of having to get things done before I actually die.
“I did ayahuasca in 2020 and won two MVPs,” Rodgers told Fox Sports in September. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I don’t really believe in coincidences.
“I believe in science and synchronicities and I really feel like that has allowed me to have a greater love for the game I play, a greater love for my teammates and I had maybe my best season in 2020 career and then followed up with even greater integration of many of those lessons last year.’
‘[There was] Me and I to ayahuasca,” Rodgers told Joe Rogan last year.
About the effects of mushrooms he said: “Just an incredible connection to nature and to life and to all sentient beings and all plants and mushrooms.”
When Rodgers discusses topics surrounding his future or matters outside of football, it is often met with widespread ridicule.
Rodgers could have left Lambeau for the last time after the Jan. 8 loss to Detroit
And yet his mere presence on the NFL podiums provides a broader promotion and a distinctive voice, often with a different opinion than the majority.
There is no better example than his stance against the COVID-19 vaccine. Rodgers was, as he described it, “immunized” from the disease that was causing continents to be placed in lockdown by governments around the world.
When asked in August 2021 if he was vaccinated, the one-time Super Bowl champion described himself as “immunized.” Reporters went no further and simply assumed that he had received a pharmaceutical vaccine like Pfizer.
Rodgers believed the responsibility rested with reporters to dig deeper if they wished. It became public that he was not traditionally vaccinated after contracting COVID in November this year, causing a storm on both traditional and social media.
In recent years he has also rebelled against “awakened” values, making him a “bad guy”.
“There are heroes and villains in sport and in entertainment and I think because of my stance on Covid and maybe some other things I was cast as a villain. Especially in the last few years,” Rodgers told Pat McAfee last month.
The 2020-2021 MVP won his only Super Bowl of the 2011 season, 31-25 against the Steelers
WHAT IS AYAHUASCA?
Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic drink that is illegal in the US and UK but widely consumed by tribal societies in the Amazon Basin.
Shamans consider ayahuasca a “wisdom plant” that allows entry into the spiritual world, and it was recognized as such by the Peruvian government in 2008.
According to Talk to Frank, it can produce hallucinations similar to the effects of LSD or magic mushrooms. They last two hours and are “usually enjoyable” but can cause panic and horrifying flashbacks, the site says.
The negative emotional effects of taking ayahuasca can last for days, making it particularly dangerous for those with mental health issues.
It can also increase blood pressure and heart rate and harm people with pre-existing heart disease.
“And that’s how a lot of things I say are often interpreted. This waking culture wants to be insulted by everything.
“You just go online and you find something you don’t agree with. “I’m offended! How can you say that?” I do not care. I don’t care who it came from or who said it.’
It’s this outwardly directed apathy towards his critics that gives Rodgers the freedom to speak his mind, making him both loved by some and disliked by others.
Whatever you look at, Rodgers is someone who moves the needle in a way that all of today’s top quarterbacks can’t.
Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts. While all offer their own unique personalities to media and fan gazes, they do not polarize off the field.
Granted, not everyone is keen on the idea of a Kansas City dynasty, but the quartet isn’t polarizing like Rodgers. Like Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Rodgers is a constant contender, and quite often a willing one.
The New York Jets have been rumored as a possible option, although Rodgers is under contract, which would be a bout of fits.
A star quarterback with an irrepressible desire to speak his mind against the backdrop of the nearby media capital of the world.
On the field, Gang Green looks like they could use a signal caller from Rodgers’ pedigree to challenge in their division and the AFC.
With fierce defense and talented positional players, New York seemingly only needs a quarterback to get into the heart of the playoffs. Without a consistent performer under center, the Florham Park franchise was just two games away from a wildcard spot.
Rodgers was reportedly recently dating Milwaukee Bucks heiress Mallory Edens
Rodgers was reportedly in a “casual” relationship with Edens earlier this year
He and the Green Bay Packers missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 NFL season
Rodgers has two years left on his three-year deal, reportedly worth more than $150 million, and would need approval from the Packers front office.
Rodgers naysayers will say he failed to finish games when it really counts. Namely, losses at Lambeau Field while the No. 1 seeded in the NFC; against the Giants, Bucs, and 49ers in 2011, 2020, and 2021, respectively.
And more recently, the win and loss to Detroit in January saw one team knocked out of the playoffs, albeit red hot, just before kickoff.
Before Mahomes won his second MVP last week, however, Rodgers was voted the most valuable player in the league back-to-back in office.
Despite his numbers compared to previous seasons — he finished with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions — Rodgers showed what he could do late in the season against Dallas (14/20 for 224 yards, 3 TDs).
The future Hall of Famer was last seen in a serious relationship with actress Shailene Woodley
He also dated former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick between 2018 and 2020
Actress Olivia Munn also once dated Green Bay’s longtime quarterback
Despite his career now in its twilight years, Rodgers is a celebrity himself. Often he has also turned to dating them.
His current relationship status is unknown, despite reports linking him to Milwaukee Bucks owner Mallory Edens’ 26-year-old daughter.
A People Magazine source said of the pair last month; “It’s more than just friends, but it’s casual. Nothing serious at all.”
He was previously engaged to ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ actress Shailene Woodley before they finally split in April 2022.
Rodgers dated former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick for two years between 2018 and 2020. Actress Olivia Munn was also a future Hall of Famer at one point.
Whether Rodgers will break up with the Packers remains to be seen. His future remains in the dark at the moment, not too different from the man himself this weekend.