Aaron Rodgers Reveals Why He Couldn't Be R.F.K. Jr.'s VP

Aaron Rodgers has revealed why he turned down the chance to be Robert F. Kennedy Jr.s running mate in the outsider candidates independent bid for the U.S. presidency.

On Tuesday, the New York Jets quarterback said his athletic ambitions overshadowed any desire to step into the political ring, telling reporters, I love Bobby. We had a couple of really nice conversations.

But there were really two options: Retire and be his VP or keep playing. I wanted to keep playing.

Aaron Rodgers says he had two options - retire and be RFK's vice president or keep playing football

He wanted to keep playing football pic.twitter.com/tSKDSupxzn

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Aaron Rodgers says he had two options - retire and be RFK's vice president or keep playing football

He wanted to keep playing football pic.twitter.com/tSKDSupxzn
Jets Videos (@snyjets) May 21, 2024

The Kennedy camp floated the idea of the four-time MVP as a VP, describing the athlete as battle-tested back in March, despite Rodgers having zero experience in the political realm. (Rodgers, who was injured for almost the entirety of the 2023-2024 NFL season, publicly endorsed Kennedy in April.)

Kennedy was likely attracted to some of the more fringe beliefs he and Rodgers share. The football player was an adamant vaccine skeptic during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and has engaged with conspiracies theories about everything from UFOs to Jeffrey Epstein, as well as the assassination of R.F.K.s uncle, President John F. Kennedy Jr.

Rodgers defended himself during an interview on the Look Into It with Eddie Bravo, podcast earlier this year.

Conspiracy is a term which gets slighted, he said. Conspiracy theories have been right about a lot of things in the last couple of years.

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R.F.K.s campaign would ultimately opt for Silicon Valley entrepreneur and attorney Nicole Shanahan as Kennedys number two.