Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers' new tattoo: What does it all mean?

Published Jul. 7, 2022 4:45 p.m. ET

Aaron Rodgers has been on this earth for 38 years and has played in the NFL for 17 of them. Through all those years, he's resisted the urge to get a tattoo — until now.

Rodgers took to social media on Wednesday to post his new unique-looking tattoo, and Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe tried their best to decipher the meaning behind the art while sharing their opinions on the matter.

Aaron Rodgers sets social media ablaze with new tattoo

Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers sent social media into a frenzy after posting a picture of his new tattoo. Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe analyze Rodgers' new ink.

"This was vintage Aaron Rodgers," Bayless mentioned in his first response to the tattoo. "He didn't just stick his toe in the tattoo water. He went full left forearm all the way from his elbow to wrist. He went incredibly, bizarrely complicated with symbol, upon symbol, upon symbol."

Bayless continued.

"It's magnificent. It's overpowering, and he says that each of the symbols has a deeper meaning that he'll explain on a different day."

Looking closer at the tattoo, it's incredibly intricate. It appears to have two lions on opposing sides of a globe, with an eye above the globe and several constellations on top. The ink also has other intricate aspects to it. Rodgers' tattoo forces you to pay attention to the detail in it.

"Usually, you get this kind of tattoo in your teens or maybe your 20s," Bayless said. "Aaron is going on 39. This is a middle-aged crazy tattoo."

Bayless added that he believes Rodgers did this to deflect attention away from the fact that he lost two home playoff games in a row.

Sharpe didn't buy that take, though, arguing that it's simply not that deep.

"The man wanted a tattoo, and he got one," said Sharpe. "It seems like a pretty nice piece of art. I like tattoos. I don't have any. I like tattoos on other people. That doesn't mean that I'm against them. … Let the man live, Skip!"

Bayless took it a little further, saying that this obviously means Rodgers isn't scared of needles, considering his refusal to take a COVID-19 vaccine last season, a decision that sidelined him for a game.

Sharpe still disagreed: "I think the man was thoughtful and said, 'Okay, I want a tattoo.' I think Aaron Rodgers put a lot of time, energy, and effort into coming up with his first tattoo and what he was going to get."

Maybe Rodgers is starting a new chapter with a new receiving core that doesn't include his former right-hand man, Davante Adams. Regardless, Rodger's tattoo was unexpected, but clearly thoughtful and creative.