If there's one NFL quarterback who has a lot common with the recently retired Andrew Luck, it's probably Aaron Rodgers.
Not only did they attend college on the west coast -- Luck went to Stanford while Rodgers went to Cal -- but they both have other interests outside football and they've both been dealing with some serious injuries over the past two years.
Although Luck's injuries eventually led to his retirement because they were sucking the joy out of football for him, it doesn't sound like Rodgers will be walking away from the game anytime soon.
During a recent interview with Rich Eisen, the Packers quarterback revealed the ideal way he'd like to see his career end.
"Win the Super Bowl when I'm 45, and ride off into the sunset," Rodgers said.
If you're a Packers fan, that means you should go ahead and mark February 2029 in your calendar now just to be safe. If Rodgers' plan pans out, that means his final game would be Super Bowl LXIII (63).
Of course, playing into your 40s isn't easy and Rodgers is well aware of that. During the same interview, the 35-year-old quarterback was asked if he actually thought he could play that long.
"We'll see. I envision playing as long as my body feels good and I have the love for the game that I do right now," Rodgers said. "That still fuels me and is still a passion, and I still love the daily grind and the practice and the preparation. If I can give everything to a team in that manner and my body feels good, I'm going to keep rolling."
One thing that could slow Rodgers down is injuries. Over the past two years, the Packers quarterback has suffered a broken clavicle, a sprained MCL and a concussion. After going through all of the rehab, Rodgers can understand why a guy like Luck would make the decision to retire during the prime of his career.
"I think, watching some guys go through a couple years of a [long] rehab, like Andrew did, it messes with your head for sure," Rodgers said. "It's only natural to start thinking, 'Is this my best quality of life? Do I still have the passion? Is it time to do something else and get happy again?' And that's why I applaud him for making the decision. I think it's actually the selfless decision. Instead of hanging around and making eight figures, he's choosing to improve his life and try something else."
One thing Luck noted during his retirement press conference is the mental toll that all the injuries were taking on him, and that's something that Rodgers can definitely empathize with.
"It's the Groundhog day effect on your mind," Rodgers said. "When your sole focus is rehab and a lot of the rehab is repetitive and if you don't see any types of jumps in recovery -- say it's in a week or two weeks, for a major injury, it might be a month -- it definitely messes with your mind a lot, and I think it's natural to start thinking about your post-career health."
Rodgers is definitely thinking about his post-career health, but the good news for Packers fans is that the end of his career might not be coming for another 10 years.
