Is Aaron Rodgers already regretting his decision to stay?

After just one game of the 2022 season, the Green Bay Packers look to be in trouble. Could Aaron Rodgers be regretting his decision to stay?  Perhaps this is premature, but I think it does hold some water.  In week one of the 2022 NFL season, the Packers took a 23-7 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings.

To be fair, the Vikings usually play the Packers close in Minnesota, but this wasn’t a typical performance from the back-to-back MVP.  One of the main storylines of the offseason was Green Bay trading away Davante Adams for a couple of draft picks.  To try and cover for his departure, the Packers drafted Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, and signed Sammy Watkins.

Could Aaron Rodgers be regretting his choice to stay with the Packers?

Green Bay didn’t score until the fourth quarter, and it’s clear that the Packers are missing Adams’ presence.  Perhaps Aaron Rodgers didn’t consider how noticeable his not being on the team would be, or perhaps Rodgers was blinded by receiving a $50 million per year extension, making him the highest-paid player in NFL history.

Could Rodgers be thinking to himself that he made the wrong decision to return to Green Bay?  What we do know is that the Packers would have been willing to trade him after the 2021 season.  It was an apparent gentlemen’s agreement.  There were likely going to be a ton of suitors for him, and the lack of success since winning the Super Bowl could have been a huge factor in him leaving.

The departure of Nathaniel Hackett and Luke Getsy, two of his former coaches was likely on his mind, too.  Rodgers had some great things to say about each, and as time wore on, especially after their divisional round loss to the San Francisco 49ers, it appeared that Aaron Rodgers would formally request a trade.

There were also rumors that he’d end up retiring too.  However, for whatever reasons, he convince himself or was convinced to stay and likely retire as a Packer.  After one game, does Rodgers have regrets about doing that?  I do think the Packers are likely to make the playoffs, but they won’t be nearly as dynamic on offense.

The Vikings look like a legitimate team and might challenge them for the division.  Even in the weaker NFC, I don’t see the Packers as being a team that could legitimately make the Super Bowl, and they haven’t been able to do that since 2010 when they won it.

I do think that Aaron Rodgers has some regrets about staying.  Perhaps retirement could have suited him better, or even requesting a trade to a team that had more firepower on offense to Rodgers’ liking.