'We're not idiots': Packers CEO dismisses talk of Aaron Rodgers' exit

The Green Bay Packers have said they expect to have Aaron Rodgers back as their quarterback next season, despite another painful playoff loss for the quarterback.

The Packers were beaten by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in the NFC championship game, the fourth time Rodgers has lost in the penultimate game of the season. His only Super Bowl appearance came in the 2010 NFL season when the Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 37-year-old Rodgers left some wondering if he was considering retirement or a trade from the Packers when he said after Sunday’s game that his future is “uncertain”.

“A lot of guys’ futures, they’re uncertain – myself included,” Rodgers said. “That’s what’s sad about it, most. Getting this far, obviously there’s going to be an end to it at some point, whether we make it past this one or not. But just the uncertainty is tough and the finality of it all.”

However, on the 5th Quarter radio show on Monday, Packers CEO Mark Murphy said he is confident Rodgers would return. “We’re not idiots. Aaron Rodgers will be back, he’s our leader,” Murphy said.

Related: Aaron Rodgers' brilliance is clear but history may judge him unfairly

Rodgers is likely to be named NFL MVP for a third time in the coming weeks after a superb season in which he threw for a career-high 48 touchdowns. However, there has been a feeling that the Packers have not always done enough to make the most of a quarterback many believe is the most talented player of his generation but has only one Super Bowl championship on his résumé.

On Sunday, Packers coach Matt LaFleur decided to kick a field goal with the team trailing the Buccaneers late in the game rather than hand the ball to Rodgers on fourth down. Green Bay also selected another quarterback, Jordan Love, in the first-round of last year’s draft suggesting they are planning to move on from Rodgers in the near future.