Aaron Rodgers: Enigma

This docuseries is very well done and I really enjoyed watching it. Like many, I had myself convinced that Aaron Rodgers is a selfish attention-seeker. I can't say after watching "Enigma" I am completely certain that I was wrong, but I certainly see things a bit differently now. I loved hearing about some of these offbeat wellness retreats straight from Rodgers himself. It was also interesting to hear his perspective on the tumultuous COVID years. I will never agree with how he handled his vaccination, but I'm glad I at least understand how everything really happened now. Aaron Rodgers truly is an Enigma. This docuseries does him justice, for better or for worse.

7.3 stars.

I was intrigued by this documentary. I wanted to see inside the mind of Aaron Rodgers, and I think this is probably what he believes. This is a look inside the mind of Aaron Rodgers from the perspective of Aaron Rodgers.

What do you expect? He is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. If he had three championship rings, half the people out there would say that he is the GOAT. But since he was unable to secure those special accolades that only a Super Bowl can provide, except the one time, he is immediately tossed aside, and put into the pile of other great quarterbacks, but not the best of the best, top five quarterbacks.

Arguably he is in the top five. Look at how many quarterbacks won MVP four times. All you need to do is look. Peyton Manning has five, AR is second with four. But if you count quarterback rating as the number one indicator, Aaron Rodgers by far is the best QB of all time. And yet, if you look at all the top 10 QB all time lists, he's not even in the top five. You can't ignore the stats. This guy is in the top 2 or 3 of all time, most definitely top 5.

Most likely his downfall is that when it came to the extreme pressure, he didn't quite have what Tom Brady and Joe Montana have. But if you look at his overall stats, he far surpasses them both. So where do you draw the line?

Ok, so he's arrogant. Most of them are, but because of the 2020 debacle, his image is tarnished forever? Credit where credit is due. They are almost all arrogant, it goes with the territory. You would be too, especially if you had difficulty sorting out real friends from fake ones. That sort of life makes a person arrogant. They have to work on getting past that difficulty. What we see as arrogance is merely a facade of an extremely talented person putting a protective bubble around himself.

A sure NFL Hall of Famer, which Eve greatness on the field, but hast to face so many influences off the field and is seemingly looking for peace. I don't find anything wrong with that, to each his own. He's been both of the outspoken leader, he's been the outspoken off the field person who challenges ideals that are out there, I know it's crazy that someone of his status actually says that he does not agree with certain doctrine in our social and political landscape. Believe me, the NFL is a melting pot for sure, but they have within them all of their beliefs and all of their experiences that make them the people they are and drive them to success. They choose to put that all aside and not make the NFL a social experiment, but make it a meritocracy with the goal. Winning just about at all costs. It is a moment in time in their lives. That is a very smart approach. The social fabric of our society is tribal and will destroy organizations where those tribes are all mixed together. I can't blame a guy who's trying to find his way even at 40+ years old. Not to mention, no one here that has reviewed this and bashed him to know and can withstand a microscopic review of their own life where they've made "" no mistakes ". It doesn't happen. No one can withstand that scrutiny. This was different from your typical NFL profile but he is different as well. Kind of reminds me of George Harrison of the Beatles who got into different things at that time. God bless him. I respect him for all the work he's done on the field and wish him well on his journey. And I'm not a Packers fan or a Jets fan however I do appreciate greatness.

Enigma is not the most objective documentary you will ever find (if you want more of that, read Ian O'Connor's "Out of the Darkness" tome). To a certain extent, it trades Aaron Rodgers' involvement for a little bit of narrative-shaping. But I was still enthralled by Enigma because it allows Rodgers to tell his story in his own words-not clickbait headlines-and he always gives a thoughtful accounting (whether you ascribe to the exact same beliefs being somewhat immaterial).

For a very basic overview, Enigma focuses on the "present" of Rodgers rehabbing from his 2023 Achilles tear as a member of the New York Jets. While seeing him navigate one of the quickest rehab processes for that injury in NFL history, doc directors Gotham Chopra & Liam Hughes flash back to relevant Rodgers' life moments-high school, college, NFL draft, Brett Favre relationship, Packers dominant QB ascendence-to allow him to tell his story. Supplementing Rodgers' own thoughts are interview snippets from the likes of Mike McCarthy, David Bakhtiari, Matt LaFleur, Davante Adams, Nathaniel Hackett, Brett Favre, Matt Flynn, and many others who have/had personal or professional relationships with Aaron.

If you only know Rodgers as "the guy who does psychedelics and sits in darkness", the first thing that will immediately "pop" in this doc is how physically talented at football Rodgers is and how much adversity he battled to get to where he is from a dominance perspective. He was smaller-than-average, he wasn't recruited by a major college, he had the most embarrassing draft day in NFL history, Favre basically shunned him, and he himself was shown the Green Bay exit a little before his time. But through all that, Rodgers developed an intense confidence/focus that allowed him to become one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all-time.

Of course, the more sensitive topics are discussed here as well: family foibles, darkness retreats, ayahuasca use, vaccine stances, and political involvements. Like anywhere else in life, I can't promise you'll like-or even respect, in some cases-Aaron's stance or inclusion within these topics. But at very least you will be hearing it "straight from the horse's mouth", and there is a lot of value to that. Regardless of what you think about Rodgers' life choices, his thought processes on those issues have clearly been given much thought and help him work through life issues as a quasi-celebrity. In a way that many athletes simply cannot, Rodgers brings a thoughtfulness, curiosity, and open-mindedness to his personal journeys.

I completely understand how and why Enigma could be a little "triggering" in the current age of extreme political/societal sensitivity. You likely won't agree with everything Rodgers has to say here. But hearing those thoughts straight from the source rather than twisted/utilized by clickbait sites or sports "talking heads" is refreshing and may soften the image of Rodgers you currently harbor in your mind. At very least, Enigma represents a chance for him to tell "his side of the story" in relatively unfiltered fashion.

As a long time fan of Tom Brady I have disliked A. R. for the last 10 years or so. I couldn't comprehend the admiration for a guy who just won 1 Super bowl, and the perception by pundits that he was better than Brady, who won 7. Today that discussion holds no more, but I recognize I couldn't fathom the guy, his decisions and stands on several hot topics. He came across as arrogant, aloof, I-know-all kind of person, and after watching the mini series he agrees to that perception, calling it "the observer", and comparing it to his "ego". The interesting consequence of my watching the documentary is that I realize than I am closer to him as a man than I am to Brady, so there must have been a Jungian bias in my judgment. Now I see AR as a complete man, someone that has much more value than meets the eye, someone that has made a conscient effort to go through a lot of pain and criticism to achieve a better understanding of himself, and therefore improve as a human being. The documentary finds the right balance between the player and the man, and does it in a very accurate way. Highly recommendable (except if you don't like the NFL)