Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers provided an update on the injured toe that limited him earlier in the season during Tuesday's interview on The Pat McAfee Show:

"It feels really good, but there's still some achiness from time to time," Rodgers said. "But I think at this point I'm as close to 100 percent as I'm going to get for the rest of the season. So it's not an issue. I've been practicing every single day now. There's a little discomfort, but I feel good."

Rodgers missed the Packers' Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs in November after testing positive for COVID-19. He returned in Week 10 and played every game since but missed practices over the next few weeks as a result of the toe injury.

Though he never revealed the initial cause of the injury, he told reporters he suffered a setback in mid-December. 

The quarterback remained on the field and has been as effective as ever, finishing the season with 4,115 passing yards, 37 touchdowns, four interceptions and a league-best 111.9 passer rating.

With the Packers finishing 13-4 on the season, Rodgers is once again a favorite to win the NFL Most Valuable Player award, which would be the fourth of his career.

The only thing that might have been affected by the toe injury has been Rodgers' running, with his 101 rushing yards on the season his lowest since becoming a starter in 2008. His 2.1 rushing attempts per game were also a career low as a starter.

Green Bay will hope the toe doesn't limit him entering the divisional round of the playoffs after a first-round bye. 

The Packers will host the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on Saturday after the Niners sacked Dak Prescott five times on the way to a 23-17 upset win over the Dallas Cowboys. Rodgers will hope to avoid the pass rush and lead the squad to the NFC Championship Game for the third year in a row.   

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly not likely to be involved in any trade discussions for Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson this offseason.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported it would be "un-Steelers-like" to see the franchise go all in and trade for a veteran quarterback. Ben Roethlisberger is widely expected to retire when the Steelers season ends.

While Rodgers and Wilson remain under contract with their respective teams, both superstar quarterbacks face rumors about their future.

Rodgers held out of the Packers' offseason training program in hopes of forcing his way out of Green Bay after a falling out with management. He reported to camp only after the team agreed to revisit his future this upcoming offseason. While the Packers finished with the NFL's best record during the regular season, Rodgers still has been noncommittal about wanting to stay, telling reporters last month:

There will be a lot of things that I'll weigh in the offseason. Saying that doesn't mean, or any of the comments I've made, doesn't mean I'm thinking about [playing] elsewhere, I do want to clarify that. The things that I've said about the team this year, about Brian's [GM Brian Gutekunst] and I's relationship, has been heartfelt and genuine, and I do appreciate a lot of the things that I've seen from the team that are directly related to conversations we had in the offseason, and that was meaningful to me. I've enjoyed being a part of conversations that directly affect my job, which I talked about in the offseason, and Brian's taken the lead in that, and I do appreciate the way our relationship has grown.

I have a lot of love for Matt [head coach Matt LaFleur] and enjoy playing for him. I love my teammates. The coaching staff has been fantastic, and they make it fun every single day. And the guys, obviously, is what you play for. ... So I'm just savoring this year as much as anything.

Wilson's offseason has already begun after the Seattle Seahawks posted a disappointing 7-10 record. The quarterback's tensions with coach Pete Carroll are well-trodden territory, and it's unlikely their relationship is in a better place after their first losing season together.

The Steelers are projected to have nearly $45 million in cap space this offseason and are a bastion of organizational stability, but it's not clear they'd be a destination for Wilson or Rodgers. It's not like either quarterback is dealing with rampant instability; their desires to depart seemingly come largely from personality differences.

If either quarterback requests a trade this offseason, it's almost certain to be to a team they feel can instantly compete for a Super Bowl with a coach they're comfortable with. Mike Tomlin has no ties to Rodgers or Wilson, and the Steelers have significant holes on their offensive line that could be a concern for a pair of older quarterbacks.

The Associated Press revealed its selections for the 2021 NFL All-Pro team on Friday.

Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald were all unanimous selections.

Also selected to the team were Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who was the only rookie chosen.

Here is a full rundown of the All-Pro First Team, courtesy of the AP:

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Running Back: Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Tight End: Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

Wide Receivers: Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers; Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams; Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

Left Tackle: Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers

Right Tackle: Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Left Guard: Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns

Right Guard: Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys

Center: Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles

Edge Rushers: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers; Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns

Interior Defensive Linemen: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers

Linebackers: Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts; Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys; De'Vondre Campbell, Green Bay Packers

Cornerbacks: Trevon Diggs, Dallas Cowboys; Jalen Ramsey, Los Angeles Rams

Safeties: Kevin Byard, Tennessee Titans; Jordan Poyer, Buffalo Bills

Placekicker: Justin Tucker, Baltimore Ravens

Punter: A.J. Cole, Las Vegas Raiders

Kick Returner: Braxton Berrios, New York Jets

Punt Returner: Devin Duvernay, Baltimore Ravens

Special Teamer: J. T. Gray, New Orleans Saints

Long Snapper: Luke Rhodes, Indianapolis Colts

The 38-year-old Rodgers is now a First Team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career and the second year in a row. He is also favored to repeat as NFL MVP after leading the Packers to a 13-4 record and throwing for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller Tom Brady was the only other quarterback to receive a vote with 16, placing him on the All-Pro Second Team.

Taylor is another player who was a strong candidate to MVP all season long, and the AP All-Pro voters recognized him as such.

In just his second NFL season, Taylor led the league with 1,811 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns, as well as 2,171 total yards from scrimmage and 20 total touchdowns.

The only blemish on his season was the fact that Indianapolis finished just 9-8 and failed to reach the playoffs after shockingly falling to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 18.

While Taylor is playing at an elite level early in his career, few players in NFL history have made as much of an instant impact as Parsons.

The No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft out of Penn State helped transform the Dallas defense as a rookie, finishing with 84 tackles, 30 quarterback hits, 20 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, three forced fumbles and three passes defended in 16 games.

Per Barry Wilner of the Associated Press, Parsons took great honor in his selection, saying:

"I think it's an extraordinary honor. It speaks to the work and the position the Cowboys put me in. I think it’s just a true blessing. It just makes you want to go harder.

"I think when you achieve things early, you've got to learn how to sustain it. People always say when you get there it gets easier. But I think when you get there, it gets harder. Once you get it, you've got it. But it's hard to sustain it than it is just to get there. I've got to just keep working and keep getting better and find a way to beat this season next year, which is the harder part."

The Cowboys were among the most highly represented teams on the All-Pro First Team with three selections.

They are joined by the Packers, Rams, Colts and Ravens, who all had three players selected to the team as well.

Aaron Rodgers expects his toe injury to be fully healed following the team's postseason bye week and told reporters Wednesday he hasn't needed any pain-killing shots recently.

"I haven't taken one in a number of weeks now, so that's been the most encouraging thing," he said. "Got through last week without doing one. It was just a pretty standard shot in the toe, very painful, a numbing agent. That helped get me through the games. The whole goal was to be able to not have to do that. It's been a few games without doing that. So I'm feeling good, practiced today, close to 100 percent but think I should be 100 percent by next week."

Rodgers has been playing through a fractured toe since late November, with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting in early December the injury was expected to linger for the remainder of the season. 

But with the top-seeded Packers on a bye this weekend, Rodgers will have time to recuperate. 

"Rest," he said of his plans for the bye week. "Rest. I mean, I'm about to go home, and it's what, 12:22 [in the afternoon]? That's pretty frickin' sweet. So I'm going to enjoy this rest. I'm sure many people, hopefully it's not just me, I've still got a semi-messy house post-Christmas and New Year's, and it's the end of the season, so you don't have time for that. So I'm going to clean my house, I'm going to rest, I'm going to read some books, and I'm going to relax. That's what I'm getting out of this week."

The Packers won't know their divisional-round opponent until Monday, when the last of the Wild Card Round games wrap up. The Packers will play the lowest remaining seed, which could potentially play be the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Rams, fifth-seeded Arizona Cardinals, sixth-seeded San Francisco 49ers or seventh-seeded Philadelphia Eagles. 

They'll also have home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. 

Facing Rodgers at Lambeau Field is no easy task, especially after he had another MVP-esque season, throwing for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing 68.9 percent of his passes. He missed just one game after being placed on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list. 

To this point, the toe injury hasn't kept him out of games despite the pain he endured. Now, it appears Rodgers will head into the postseason pain-free.