3-2-23 After Hours with Amy Lawrence PODCAST: Hour 1

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That's BetterHELP.com slash positive. You just learn to deal with it, you know what I mean? Subscribe now on the Odyssey app, or wherever you get your podcasts. It's really kind of sad, though, because we don't have any huge plans, other than a nice dinner out on Saturday. And I'm going to get my hair done.

That's pretty much it. We're going to binge watch season 2 of Sanditon. I think season 3 is out now, for those of you who know what it is.

It's a Jane Austen series that is pretty popular with that set, with our set. And so we're going to watch that. She's going to be teaching Friday, and maybe Monday as well. So we don't have any humongous plans, but I always like to take a longish weekend after football is done. Just to reset and sleep and, okay, take a break from the pets too, only because the schedule is so rigid.

But, in terms of it being some really exciting trip, it probably wouldn't appeal to anyone else. I'm just very excited about spending time with mom and seeing some other people. And really excited about the fact that I can sleep at night. It's so funny to me when people ask me about wanting to work overnights for the rest of my life, or blah blah blah, whatever. I've chosen to stay on overnights, but I will tell you the truth, I never thought it would be ten years. I originally took this gig and told myself, because that matters. I told myself, I'll give it five years on overnights, and then I'll transition to something else.

But it's been a good spot for me, for my career, and here I am. It just means that I desperately love sleeping at night, and with no pets to wake me up in the morning, my mom's not a morning person either. It's good sleepin'. It's good sleepin' at mom's house. You gotta sleep fast. No, not there, I don't have to.

Not in Houston. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. Thanks so much for hanging out with us. It is not a Thursday night, it is a Wednesday night, and we are gonna hit as much as we can on this edition of the show.

We've got some fun plans for you. First of all, an hour from now, she's my friend, but that's not why we have her on the show tonight. Darlene Santore is her name. She goes by Coach Dar, and she's been on the show before, but this is something new. We have interviewed her in the past because she's a mental skills coach to both professional athletes as well as CEOs. She has an extensive client list.

She worked with the Phoenix Suns for several years when she was on their staff. Now she's got her own private practice. She also spent 20-something years as a therapist, but most recently, she wrote her very first book. I'm so proud of her, and she is such an inspiration. The Art of Bouncing Back, that's the name of the book, and obviously that art is one that's valuable.

According to Coach Dar, it's also attainable, though it may not feel that way all the time. It's the purpose of her new book, and she will join us on the eve of her big lunch party. It's coming up on Thursday in Phoenix, so she will join us to talk about her brand new book.

It's already available on Amazon and in bookstores, The Art of Bouncing Back. She is a sweet spirit. She's a beautiful friend both inside and out. We put the post up on Twitter, ALawRadio, just because when you see her smile, and you see that her eyes smile with her, you know that she has figured out The Art of Bouncing Back. Her story is incredible. I'm not going to tell you anything else about her story. You're going to have to wait and hear it.

She writes this book from personal experience, believe you me. So that's coming up about an hour from now. In addition, we had such a great reaction to our conversation with Jason Stark from spring training, so I want to make sure that we bring back part of that as well, just because, like I said, we had a great reaction, lots of traffic to our podcast, and there were some interesting numbers released by Major League Baseball on Wednesday, even as we've gone through just a few days, the early days of spring training. It feels like forever, but honestly, the games just started last weekend in the Grapefruit League, in the Cactus League, and then Fernando Tatis on the baseball paths today. So interesting story for him.

It's been a long road, one that he made significantly longer because of poor choices, but he is back with the Padres, even as they give Manny Machado an extension, and they're thinking about Juan Soto, and we also talked about the Padres with Jason Stark. So if you wanted to catch the entire conversation on podcast, the link is up on both our Twitter and Facebook pages. However, we'll bring back part of that conversation. Again, appreciate your reaction. Jason knocks it out of the park always. Yes, pun intended, kind of.

That could be a metaphor that I use for a lot of different things. We're going to get a little bit into the NBA tonight, not quite as deep into the NBA, but there are a few significant storylines. And then at the Combine, I haven't heard word one about the prospects themselves.

That's not what's making headlines. What's made headlines in the last few hours, Eric DaCosta, general manager of the Baltimore Ravens. They have until Tuesday to place the franchise tag on Lamar Jackson. Will they? Well, they haven't decided whether it will be the exclusive tag or the non-exclusive tag if they don't get a deal done. Here's the part that is troubling for the Ravens. If they decide to tag him, the exclusive tag makes sense because if they traded him because they can't get a deal done, they get two first round picks in return. The trade capital would be significantly lower if they use the non-exclusive tag on him.

Also, then other teams really can get involved. What with Lamar Jackson, if they put the exclusive tag on him, that $45 million salary essentially puts them right up against the cap. So then they don't have the flexibility to find a wide receiver, to work on their secondary, to areas of weakness for the Ravens this season. So because of that, the exclusive tag, while they would need it, if they want to get much in return for him should they trade Lamar Jackson, and they appear to be at a stalemate, but maybe they don't in no way. Maybe they are not interested in trading him.

So I think just to be smart, you have to keep all your options open. But let's say they tag him and they continue to work. It's been two years, no deal. Dak Prescott, the Dallas Cowboys, worked for multiple years before they could get a deal done. And so if they want him to play under the tag, then that $45 million is going to take up pretty much the rest of the cap space that they have available, which puts them in a bind.

It really does. So we'll hear from Eric Takasta, as well as from John Harbaugh, both speaking from the Indianapolis Combine, which is really more of a convention, if you will. Aaron Rodgers, waxing poetic on his darkness retreat. Not, I'll just, I'll spoil the lead here, not giving us any decision yet about his playing career, but he did talk around it.

And he tells stories from his darkness retreat in Oregon. Okay. Yep.

Okay. So we're going to do two versions of QB news because there's so much out there. But it's not just QBs. There's some other big storylines, too, developing around the NFL and really ones that we'll be watching as the league turns to its new calendar year, which begins in early March. Oh, wait, it is early March. See what I mean? It's March 1st, you guys.

It may not be the happy almost Friday brand that I love to use and make people smile, but it definitely is early March. So March Madness will ensue. And that can apply to college hoops.

It does apply to college hoops, but it also applies to everything else that happens in the spring because it gets nutso. We're going to get nutso. You can find me on Twitter, A Law Radio, also on our Facebook page, of course, After Hours with Amy Lawrence. And then in addition to that, we've got our phone number, 855-212-4227.

That's 855-212-4CBS. Why don't we start with the best record in the NBA, the hottest team in the NBA, and boy, as if they needed any extra nutso secret weapons, the Bucks certainly had it all working against the Magic tonight. Rebound tracked down by Allen. Grayson's running the other way. Back to Giannis. Can he finish it?

Why not? A two-hand rim rocker going to the other end of the floor. That is called a two-way player, ladies and gentlemen. Giannis puts it on the floor. He's trying to post up back his way inside on Fultz. Fultz tried to pull a chair on him. Giannis picks up the ball and then fades and connects from the left elbow. Benases will dribble this into the front court and take it to the finish line.

Well, the beat goes on. It's a new month, but it's the same story for the Bucks, who start the month of March off with a bang. They have won 16 consecutive games.

And on this night, the nutso secret weapon, hot to trot from beyond the arc, 26 of 56. This was going to be a tall enough task for the Orlando Magic anyway, but a team that shoots 26 of 56 from three-point land, that's fairly close to unbeatable, at least on this night. Felt like a lot of them caught a hot streak tonight.

It's a big part of what's important to us, and we've got to be able to find good looks. Guys know we want them shooting them. And so, yeah, it was good to see a night like that from the three-point line. I didn't even realize we hit that many threes. I knew we hit a lot, but that's a lot of threes. But it's just trust in one another. We have unselfish, smart players, and that just kind of fosters that.

We're all looking out for each other out there. So the Milwaukee Bucks score 139 points, and the big quarter really for them. Well, the second quarter was big against the Magic, and then they also finished very strong. Giannis with 31, and this was a season high from deep for the Bucks. So, yeah, the one-two punch for Milwaukee staying out in front, picking up win number 45 on the season. So because they have the edge on the Boston Celtics, they were able to maintain that edge even though the Celtics were also playing on Wednesday night and had their own heat-seeking missile. Got it.

Well, that worked out. And Jason Tatum is one point away from Giannis. Jason Tatum needed 40 tonight to do it, and he's got 40. He had two at the end of the first quarter.

Didn't think this was going to happen. Early on in the game, didn't seem to have any gas, any juice. All of a sudden, got a slam dunk, and boy, he just caught fire.

Sean Grandy and Cedric Maxwell on the Celtics radio network. So, yeah, Jason Tatum starts out slow, and remember, there's been a bit of a shooting slump. He hadn't been home in two weeks. He told us that around the all-star break, but the home cooking helped as the Celtics are back in the Garden, and they edged the Cavaliers in large part due to Tatum's humongous third quarter. He ends up with 18 points in the third, so finishes with 41. He also has over a dozen free throw attempts, so that was big. 11 rebounds, 8 assists, and it comes just shy of his 25th birthday.

So, yeah, big deal for Jason to find that rhythm, and he was a little saucy when he was asked about getting through that slump. Not listening to you guys when I play bad. It's a long season.

It's 82 games. Nobody has a great day at work every day of the year. Everybody has bad days, I guess, but you got to take the good days with the bad days. I say it all the time. I never get too high.

I never get too low, and regardless of what happens, you can't change it. You got to get ready for the next one and move on. We felt like it was important with the week that we have that we responded here at home. Cleveland's a really good team. They've been playing really well, and they beat us the first two times already this season. So for us, it was important to come out and get this win tonight. That's Al Horford, and the Celtics are now 45-18, but a half game back of the Bucs in the loss column, and it was that third quarter powered by Jason Tatum that gave the Celtics the edge over J.B. Bickerstaff's Cavaliers. We had similar looks on both ends. We had a couple corner threes that didn't fall for us.

They had a couple that did. They're a good team to give them credit. They do a really good job manipulating their matchups and those types of things, but I think tonight came down to our inability to defend the three-point line. Side of the third quarter, they picked up their intensity, played some playoff basketball in that second half, brought their physicality, intensity went up, Jason Tatum got hot, and yeah, we just did ourself into a hole, just trying to keep fighting. Darius Garland of the Cavaliers points to that third quarter as for Bickerstaff, really about the threes, and yes, for the Celtics, trying to overtake or recapture that first place spot in the Eastern Conference. It may or may not matter at this point, but of course you'd prefer to have that home court advantage if you can once the playoffs start.

Why? Well, because you're looking at two incredibly deep and experienced teams right now in the Bucs and the Celtics. So we talked about the Bucs hitting a season-high 26 threes. The Celtics, they don't take as many, but they shoot 50% from beyond the arc.

So when you can do that, it obviously opens things up. They've got to, well, pretty much these days everyone takes threes. But if you've got multiple guys that are hitting them, which they did in this game, well then it forces the defense to not only have to guard all guys, every guy that's out there, but it also forces them to spread out, which means they're less, well, they're not able to scramble back and help as quickly, and then it also leaves the paint open too.

So yeah, there's principles to it. The three-point shot is obviously a great weapon, not just because it's extra points on the board, but because it really does change how a defense will play you. The issue though in the NBA is that it feels like that's where teams start. They start with the three as opposed to some of the other fundamentals, and man, when they're not hitting threes and teams continue to shoot them, it can look so awful. The product on the court can be so unentertaining, as in a... But on this night, the top two teams in the East were able to hit their threes. All right, still to come, the Sixers putting a losing skid on the line, and straight ahead, Kevin Durant makes his debut with the Phoenix Suns, first time in a game since January 8th, so nearly two months out, and he was smiling.

I'll just tell you, he was smiling, he was happy, he was raring to go. Find us on Twitter after our CBS. The link to our podcast and all of our interviews go up on our Facebook page as well as our Twitter. It's Wednesday night.

Don't make the same mistake that I did because then you get excited and then there's a letdown. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast.

Ocasio-Steele, he's going to take the letdown. The four tried the jam, it goes off the back rim. Booker able to track it down, gives to Paul, who fakes the three. Now Durant trailing the play, hesitates, takes it to the rim and lays it in. There you go, the first bucket for KD in a Suns uniform, and it comes on a dribble drive and a left-hand finish off the window.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. That was the first of Kevin Durant's made buckets for the Phoenix Suns, and it was smooth. Gliding down the lane, trailing the play, he was an option, as Chris Paul was looking for a teammate to set up, and he took it near the free-throw line, and it always looks effortless when he drives to the hoop and got by a couple of defenders and scored with his left hand. John Bloom on Suns Radio.

It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence here on CBS Sports Radio. Once he found his rhythm, didn't take long. He and the rest of the Suns looked pretty darn good. 34-26 Suns. Durant wants another jumper.

Give it to him from 20 feet away on the right side. KD, the first man into double figures on the night. Chris Paul, double team, finds Durant top of the arc. He turns and drives on Oubre, jumper up from the free-throw line.

Good again for KD, who's got it cooking in the fourth. He's 10 out of 14 on the night, 23 points. Booker fading right side, hits another jumper from that mid-range game as the Suns continue to capitalize from that space on the floor. 33 to lead all scores for book.

Here's Booker left alone. He's going to try the three. And by that three from the right wing, another assist for CP3, and another three points for Devin Booker. He's got 37 to lead everybody tonight. This is the potential for the Suns.

This is how it can look. Yes, Booker finished with 37, but also had seven assists and six rebounds. Chris Paul, double-digit assists. DeAndre Ayton, 16 points, 16 rebounds. And then Kevin Durant only played 27 minutes, but 23 points to go along with a half-dozen rebounds and a couple of blocked shots. This is the potential. This is why people were so excited.

I know it was the Charlotte Hornets, but it was on the road. It was his first time in two months, and it looked smooth. A lot of nerves. I done played in almost 1,000 basketball games, but today I was nervous. It's a new team, new group. I want to do well.

I want to play hard for them and be coachable. So I was thinking about all of that today, but once the ball was tipped, my teammates were incredible and making me comfortable, and I just tried to go out there and play my game. It's just pretty cool to be able to give the guy the ball and he can get to his spot and get a really good shot. I thought the team fed off of him just being himself tonight.

You see him go through his workout. It's unlike anything you've ever seen before, and I think that's had a huge impact on everybody in the building, so I think that's a form of leadership. I was solid. I felt like I should have made about four more shots. I felt like I turned the ball over a couple times off the trap. It was just getting used to that again.

I lost the ball off the handle going to my left, so I got to get that stronger too. It was fun. I missed playing, so I missed the highest level of ball in the world, so I missed being out on the floor and going over strategy and just talking with the guys, the camaraderie, all that stuff. I missed it all, so I'm good.

I'm glad I got to get back on the floor today and try to build towards something. Lots of high fives, lots of chest bumps, lots of excitement around the Suns. Again, this was the Charlotte Hornets. They're not a playoff team. They're 24 games below.500, but it's a start, and it's his first time out there in two months. You hear him say, originally on Valley Sports Arizona, that he was actually nervous until the ball was tipped up in the air.

I can imagine it's been a lot of change since the last time he played in a game that counted. It's after hours with Amy Lawrence on CBS Sports Radio just looking at the Western Conference standings, the top of the Western Conference standings. The Denver Nuggets idle tonight. They've got the best record in the West. The Grizzlies have won their third in a row, so they pull within five games tonight. The Kings, a couple of games behind that, and then the Suns sitting in fourth place in the West. They've got a game and a half lead over the Warriors, who've also put together a few wins in a row. So that's kind of the top of the West. We know about the rest of the West and how crowded it is, but the Suns would like to be able to create some separation between themselves and that 7-10 tournament. The Mavericks right now are in the seventh spot, so they've actually dropped backwards despite acquiring KD's former teammate Kyrie Irving. Speaking of sliding backwards, that's what the Sixers were doing with a three-game losing skid and just games that... well, games that are frustrating because... not saying that they should win every game. They have got tough opponents, but the fact that they are leaving points out there, wasting opportunities, sometimes watching their game is frustrating, too. It leaves you wondering, well, is this it? At least me.

I guess I can't speak for you. Finally, though, able to get a good rhythm, shooting 50% from the floor against the Miami Heat tonight, which is a big deal because they generally do play tougher physical D, but this was not the type of defense that the Heat normally put out there on the floor, and Bam Adebayo knows it well. We have too many mental laps in the middle of the game.

You know, guys leaving, guys open. It was really on the other end tonight. You know, we didn't get any stops, and that's what hurt us the whole game. We was getting what we wanted on offense. We just couldn't get any stops. So for the Miami Heat, they're a one-step-forward, two-steps-back type of a thing, and actually they had just beaten the Sixers by two points, so the two losses that the Sixers had back-to-back had come by a combined five points, but again, leaving wins out there.

They'd beaten the Grizzlies before that and the Cavaliers before that, so they've had a pretty tough schedule, a bit of a gauntlet here, but taking advantage of the Miami Heat on this night, and this without Joel Embiid, so an impressive performance in this one, and really it was not just the three-point shot, but it was being able to find shots for pretty much their entire lineup. Excuse me. Don't know what. Okay. Okay. Okay, I'm better now.

That worked. They had a couple of guys come off the bench, but they had five players in double figures, which was big for them, really filling up the stat sheet without Joel Embiid, the biggest. Well, James Harden had 23, but I always enjoy watching Tyrese Maxey play, and when he does have the ball in his hands more, now when Embiid is out there, everybody has fewer shots, but when Maxey's got the ball in his hands, when he has the opportunity to shoot, he's a lot of fun to watch, too, to go along with his seven assists, so they're running the gauntlet. They get win number 40, and in the Eastern Conference, they had to keep pace with the leaders, though they had done a bit of a step back. Then you've got the New York Knicks.

Now, this is an interesting story. I don't know how many people believe in the Knicks, but what they're doing right now, the way they're playing at this point in the season, they're at least worth catching if you can see them on TV or kind of see this formula that they're playing right now. Thrunts it across the lane to Grimes, right wing fadeaway three, hits it. Grimes with it, 14-3. Five to shoot, out of applause.

Thrunts in the drive, the leaner, got it. Brunson with 30 in this first half. Knicks up 81-54, an 80-point first half. Randall Fallon extended, leads it to Dinwiddie, doubled to Grimes, right wing three, sticks it. Quinn Grimes with his six-three, and Randall with assist number seven. Brunson sets the feet to three, nails it from the right corner, and the fans celebrate here at the Garden with 5'12 to go. It's 132-106, Knicks. Playing together, playing off each other. Like I said, we have a lot of confident guys on this team, so when it hits the ball, we know we trust it, that they're going to make the right play, so it's just staying within ourselves, staying confident and trusting each other. Thanks for showing up, Brooklyn.

Man, they're struggling right now, as you can imagine, in the wake of the two trades, but the Knicks, they're going to play who are in front of them, whoever is in front. That was awkward. Who cares? Okay.

Don't interrupt me. They're going to play whoever is in front of them, and right now, they are feeling it. Talk about five guys in double figures. All of their starters hit double figures, and then Emmanuel quickly off the bench also had 15, but you hear Jalen Brunson on MSG, which is the Knicks' home network. He had 39 in this one, and then Julius Randle continues to play really well, nearly a triple-double, so the Knicks with 142 points. That's not something you say often, but 142 points, and they are now 10 games above 500 based on the fact they've won seven in a row and nine of their last 10.

That's Ed Cohen on Knicks radio. So there are teams to watch in the East. There are teams trying to jostle and elbow. They're fellow contenders out of the way to get position because here we are. Let's just take the Bucs, for example. They've now played 62 games, which means 20 to go.

That's it, just 20 games to go, roughly, for most teams in the NBA. All right, coming up, Aaron Rodgers on the Aubrey Marcus podcast. Apparently Aubrey Marcus is his guru of sorts. He's the guy that Aaron, apparently he's in Aaron's inner circle, but he's the guy that Aaron trusts when it comes to Ayahuasca and Pancha Karma and why are all these funny names? And the darkness retreat, these are all ideas generated by his relationship with Aubrey Marcus. So when Aaron sits down to speak with Aubrey, because remember, this is where we found out about Ayahuasca last year, right, Marco? He was doing the Aubrey Marcus podcast and he went on and on about his experience with his dead relatives fondling him and all of that.

I'm not sure if that was how he put it. I'll say this, if that's the case, then Aubrey Marcus left no impression on me because I had to Google, who the hell is Aubrey Marcus when I was doing this today? I had no idea who this guy is. I mean, we all knew who Pat McAfee was, but the impact that Rodgers has had on McAfee's show with his weekly interviews, well, how about Aubrey Marcus? No doubt getting this platform for Ayahuasca and Pancha Karma and whatever other life hacks he wants to offer. Again, no idea.

I know it was, what, like an hour and 41 minutes that they sat down and spoke in the podcast. I don't know how he's in the inner circle. I don't know the connection between the two. No, he's a guru. I'm telling you, he's the guru. Guru to what?

That's what I mean. Like, I don't really know exactly. Inner peace.

Finding your inner peace. Isn't that what Aaron Rodgers was after? Yeah, I guess we all want that, but how does Marcus, Aubrey Marcus have the key to this all? I didn't know he had the recipe. I was unaware. Did you find his credentials? You know what, I Googled it, and I gotta be fair, I lost interest within seconds.

I looked and then I was like, you know what, I don't really care, and I moved on. He is the life coach now for Aaron Rodgers. Let's call it that.

Everyone needs a little punch at karma, not me, not me. Okay, we're gonna hear from Aaron Rodgers coming up. I'm ready.

I'm so ready. It's After Hours with Amy Lawrence. You are listening to the After Hours Podcast. We've, you know, changed some text and things like that, but we haven't had a chance to speak yet. You know, we're going through our process as normal, so obviously freedom, she's coming up here, that's an important, you know, part of what we're doing, so it'd be nice to have some answers before then, but until we have any conversations, we're still in a good spot. Our feelings haven't changed about Aaron, but we need to have some of those conversations about our team, where it's going, where he's at, you know, before we go forward.

This is After Hours with Amy Lawrence. Ha ha, I'm not sure what is the most critical parts or the most interesting parts, or the parts that you most want to hear from this Aubrey Marcus podcast in which Rodgers, Aaron, Rodgers, Aaron tells all, and because he has a relationship with Aubrey Marcus, because Aubrey is a friend who's poured into his life and it, at least from what I've read and from what I've heard, this is the guy that has helped him to find his inner peace by Pancha Karma, that extreme cleanse, the Ayahuasca, which was last year in Peru, or no, I'm sorry, two years ago in Peru, and now the Darkness Retreat. So because he's comfortable with Aubrey, he goes into great detail about everything.

It's an hour and 41 minutes. It puts the Pat McAfee Show interviews to shame. So I don't know, Jay, you tell me, what parts were you more interested in, the football parts? As you hear Brian Gutenkuntz talk from Indianapolis about how they need to have a decision at some point, they need to have conversations with Aaron at some point.

So far, it's just been a few text messages. Just out of curiosity, like side note, do you think the Packers brass listens to this stuff? I think someone definitely did. It was probably someone's job to listen to the whole thing report back, but if I was Gutenkuntz, I probably would. Would you do that? Would you take that gig?

I don't know. I might. So anyway, the Packers are waiting. Rodgers has not announced the decision. Which would you rather hear? If you're average Joe or Jane football fan, which would you rather hear about, the Darkness Retreat or his football decision? If I'm just the average football fan, I wanna hear more about the Darkness Retreat and his experience in it. Okay, good. Well, for that reason, we're gonna start with the football and get it out of the way.

You can find us on Twitter, After Hours, CBS, on our Facebook page too. I would love to hear your reaction to Aaron Rodgers coming out of the darkness and shedding light on his experience. But first, football. What about this decision to play or not to play, Aaron?

There's a finality to the decision. And I don't make it lightly. I don't wanna drag anybody around. Look, I'm answering questions about it because I got asked about it. I'm talking about it because it's important to me. If you don't like it, and you think it's drama, think of being a diva or whatever, then just tune it out.

No, not a diva necessarily. It's just that everything is out there. Everything. And it's easy to say tune it out. I suppose that you can. There are certainly public figures in the world that I don't wanna hear from. So when their voices or their faces are in front of me, I will change the channel and I will find something different. But because it has to do with football, we can't tune it out. We don't have a decision yet. Not to mention you're in front of our faces every week during the season. When you become a retired football player, well, then we can tune you out. But until we have a decision about football, we can't necessarily.

So, all right, let's try this again. The future in Green Bay, Aaron. I'm under contract with the Packers, for sure. So if I decide to play, first is a conversation with them.

Where are you guys at? Honestly. You think they were lying to you before?

18 years and have so much love for Green Bay and the organization. I mean, 18 years, that's a teenager. Okay. So, in other words, he doesn't feel like they've had enough conversation yet. Definitely believe that Aaron Rodgers errs on the side of overcommunication. Now, I do. I also do.

And so I understand the value in communicating and making sure that you're on the same page. But here are the Packers waiting. Brian Guttenkuch has been open about the fact that they don't have any determination yet on Aaron's status. Again, I just can't imagine he retires. I can't imagine he retires. Every time you hear him, it sounds like he still has a lot to prove, or at least a lot to say.

Sometimes those can be one and the same. But he's still keeping his team hanging. And he doesn't have to make a decision by a certain time.

He doesn't have to. But he reiterates that he knows the Packers are waiting on him. And he also says in this Aubrey Marcus podcast that he doesn't want to walk the same path that Brett Favre did when he retired.

It's best for anybody who has an interest in this to make a decision sooner rather than later. I remember when Favre, before he retired, there were times where it was in April and May, and we weren't sure if he was going to come back because he didn't come to any off-season program. And then in 2008, he actually did retire in March and then kind of said, no, no, no, actually in June, after OTAs, I actually want to come back and play.

And then that's when I've been traded to the Jets. And there was obviously a lot of tension that summer. But for everybody involved directly and indirectly, it's best for a decision earlier. And I feel really good about the conversations that are going to be had, that have been had. Okay, raise your hand if you think he already knows what he's going to do and he's just not unveiling that decision yet. Jay, what do you think? Do you think he already knows?

I really don't know. You don't? I'll bet money he already knows whether he's going to play or not play, yes. Now, the Packers do have a say in this, although there are conflicting reports about whether or not they want him back if he decides to play again. How much you want to bet the Packers are hoping he'll retire because then they're off the hook for the money, obviously, but also it would be nice and neat and clean, like it was with Brett Favre when he retired three years after they drafted Rodgers, only to then turn around and say, no, I want to come back, like Aaron references.

Then it was a messy divorce. Then it was a disaster because Brett decided he wasn't done. He felt like emotionally he'd been forced out and they couldn't turn back from Rodgers, nor did they want to. Now, item not telling you Jordan Love is Aaron Rodgers and that it's going to go as well, but he's going into year number four of his rookie deal. He's a first round draft pick, which means they can pick up a fifth year option, but you're not going to pick up a fifth year option if you don't know whether or not the guy can play over the course of a season.

Can he handle it? So the Packers may be hoping he retires. I'll bet money we may never know this unless he chooses to reveal when his decision was made. It sounds like he's planning on playing again. Otherwise, why would you bother having conversations with the Packers? If you're not going to play again, you're planning on walking away, then it doesn't matter what the Packers say, correct? So to me, it's more about whether or not he continues to play in Green Bay. It's not necessarily about whether or not he continues to play. And he does say over and over, I got nothing left to prove. I got to win another Super Bowl so people think of me in a higher sense, like, no, I don't need to do any of that. I love playing, and that's a good enough reason. I could be completely wrong.

I may be 180 degrees in the wrong direction. I will admit that there's always that possibility. To me, hearing him, he's not done with football. Hearing him talk about conversations with the Packers, yeah, if you're retiring and you're ready to walk away from the game, I'm not saying you have anything left to prove. You've got a Super Bowl ring.

You've got four MVPs. You're a first ballot Hall of Famer. You're one of the best quarterbacks to ever play this game. But if you're planning to walk away or you believe it's the right time, conversations with your team don't matter. Your end-of-career plan and comparing it to Brett Favre, you're not doing that if you already know that you're walking away. So I believe he is going to play again. Maybe now it's just about, do the Packers want me back, and can we figure out a way to move forward, or am I playing somewhere else? That's Aaron Rodgers on the Aubrey Marcus Podcast. Coach Darr is next here after hours, CBS Sports Radio.