GREEN BAY, Wis. – On the day Tom Brady This summer, turned 45. Aaron Rodgers He didn’t hesitate for one second to state whether he wanted to play in the NFL at that time.
“No, no,” Rodgers said. “But happy birthday, Tom.”
With that, his Aug. 3-reporter session was finished.
It was almost two months before there was a follow up question. Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (1-1) prepared for Sunday’s road game (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox) against Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers It was resurrected naturally at (2-0).
Rodgers’ answer did not change.
“I won’t be, I’ll be doing something else,” Rodgers said this week. “I have a lot of other interests outside the game. Game’s been really, really good to me. I feel I’ve given my all to the game. At some point, it’ll be time to do something else, and I strongly believe that’ll be before 45.”
What if Rodgers’ strong belief changes in the next six-and-half years? At 38 years, 9 months, 2 weeks and 6 days old, there’s plenty of life between here and 45.
Rodgers’ average annual salary is more than $50,000,000 per year. Think of all the records and milestones that he could accumulate.
Consider this for fun: He could be the first player in NFL history to complete passes, pass yards, and touchdowns thrown. He could also be second in career wins, behind Brady, if wins are considered a quarterback stat.
What would his season look like if he played the entire 2028 season (turning 46 on Dec. 2), or the majority of 2029 (at 45 for the most part)? Using his per-game averages over the past five seasons, dating to 2018 (large enough sample size to account for all types of seasons; missing the playoffs, dealing with injuries, two MVPs), here are the projected numbers, per ESPN Stats & Information research:
The most striking stat is probably the one that has defined his entire career: Interceptions. Or a shortage of them.
He was celebrating his 400th career touchdown pass, late in the 2020 season. had only 88 interceptions. He was the only player to record less than 100 interceptions when they scored their 400th touchdown. He stated that he wanted to reach 500 touchdowns and not have 100 interceptions. He’s more than halfway there. He threw touchdown Nos. 450 and 451 in last Sunday’s 27-10 You can win over the Chicago Bears, and he’s sitting at 94 career interceptions.
“So five to come in under 100,” Rodgers said doing the math. “That would be a good stretch of ball to get to that. See if I play that long, see if I get there.”
Brady, on the other hand, has 204 interceptions and 626 touchdowns. He had been picked up 152 times at the time of his 450th touchdown.
Their play styles have always been very different. Brady has been a better pocket passer than Rodgers, who has excelled on off-schedule plays. To be sure, Rodgers doesn’t move around as much as he used to and isn’t as adept at avoiding pressure, but he looked plenty mobile on a 7-yard scramble against the Bears.
Still, it’s a long way from where Rodgers is today at 38 to age 45. No one knows how Brady did it for so many years.
“That’s a hell of a question,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “I think everybody wished they knew the answer to that. The guy sure looks like he’s in phenomenal shape. Certainly he’s always been one of the sharpest guys in terms of his mind, his ability to go out there and process and see things and go out there and execute. It doesn’t look like he’s lost anything on his ball. In the team meeting, we showed clips of him throwing strikes down field. He still looks like he’s playing at a really, really, really high level.”
Later in their careers, Brady and Rodgers formed a friendship. It started when they met up at the Kentucky Derby. Later, it evolved into a friendship between the two golfers. Most recently, this summer was in the made for TV match against Rodgers. Josh Allen Patrick Mahomes.
But even Brady said he didn’t know if Rodgers could play at age 45.
“He’s an amazing player, has been for a long time,” Brady said this week. “So I love watching him play and, he’s from California, too, so I feel like you always have a little bit of a connection. He is an older man now. He’s been a great player for a long period of time in the same location, so it’s not without challenges, but he has mastered them. … I knew Brett [Favre] It worked out quite well. Those two guys are two pretty great quarterbacks for a long period of time in one place.”