Many athletes have tattoos, but when the controversial 38-year-old, four-time NFL MVP got his first tattoo and claimed the intricate image had all sorts of meanings, it drew attention.
Such is the case with former Cal quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who showed off his first tattoo on Instagram this week.
The tattoo was drawn by Hungarian artist Balazs Bercsenyi and Rogers adds this information along with the tattoo:
First tattoo. From the 🐐 @balazsbercsenyi himself
Grateful for his craftsmanship and friendship 💪🏼❤️ 🇭
There is a deep and meaningful story and connection to absolutely every element of this artwork, and I’ll share a bit more about that one day. For now, just thanks for @balazsbercsenyi and his patience and artistry. #tattoo #astrology #the elements #
Hmmm. The plot thickens.
So it’s probably up to everyone to try to figure out the meanings, and of course many people did just that – sometimes seriously, more often with humor.
New York Post reported perhaps the most newsworthy interpretation, claiming it refers to his rumored girlfriend Blue from Earth.
Blue, whose real name is Charlotte Brereton and is a popular podcaster, motivational speaker and entrepreneur, shared a tattoo on Instagram in 2019 that was drawn by the same artist (Bercsenyi) and featured similar imagery.
“Initiation. Back to the truth. Stand for unconditional love. Right of passage. Restoring my own body,” Blue wrote at the time. “Thanks to my soul brother @balazsbercsenyi for adorning my ship with your light.”
Last month, Post reported via SideAction that Rogers is related to Blue.
It’s uncertain whether any of the Post’s reports are true, and it doesn’t end the search for the meaning of Rodgers’ tattoo.
The two lions — one docile, the other roaring — are the first things to draw attention, and NFL folks will note that the Packers face the Detroit Lions twice each season. Extrapolate that a little further and you could interpret this as a nod to Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who, like Rodgers, is a Cal graduate.
Okay, this interpretation is a bit far-fetched and self-serving, but most internet sleuths come up with wild decoding answers.
CBS Sports offers (jokingly) that the eye is attached to his new contract extension, making him the highest-paid NFL player in history in terms of annual income.
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My guess here is that Rodgers incorporated the all-seeing eye into the tattoo design to let the Packers know that he wanted his entire $150 million contract paid out in one dollar bills. It’s the only thing that makes sense. The one dollar bill has an all-seeing eye on the back.
SportsBlog Nation notes that the constellations at the top of the tattoo may have meaning for Rogers, whose birthday is December 2, making him a Sagittarius:
Rogers has the intersection of Scorpio and Aquarius at the center of the design, representing the winter solstice, bisected by Sagittarius, which is his star sign. At this point, I’m 1,000 percent convinced Rogers read this 2020 article from the Sonoma Gazette about the importance of the winter solstice to every sign and hung on every sentence of it as if his life depended on it.
“Sagittarius: As your ruling planet, Jupiter, moves into Aquarius, you can relax into a framework that is more comfortable, more accepting of individuality and freedom. It fits right into your own quest for independence, action and thought, than the last year has allowed.”
Somewhere in that tattoo should be a reference to his bet with Charles Barkley, in which Rodgers would cut off his man bun if he finished behind Barkley in this weekend’s celebrity golf tournament in South Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
Okay, maybe not.
Many tweeters have their own interpretation of Rodgers’ tattoo.
Here are just a few:
To be honest, I expected more creativity from the twitter universe.
In the meantime, we’re looking forward to Rogers’ explanation of the tattoo’s meaning.
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Header photo by Wm. Glasheen, USA TODAY Network
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