It’s a discount double-cross.
After 12 years, the relationship between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and State Farm has ended.
Via Sportico.com, the insurance giant confirmed that the sponsorship deal ended after the 2022 season concluded.
“We wish Aaron the best in his future endeavors,” a State Farm spokesperson told Kurt Badenhausen of Sportico, in an email regarding the termination of the deal that dated back to 2011.
As noted by Badenhausen, State Farm reduced the number of Rodgers commercials during the 2021 season, after Rodgers’s late-career heel turn assumed an anti-science vibe, regarding the COVID vaccine — and regarding a deliberate plan of deception as to whether he had received it.
Even when Rodgers was careful to not offend anyone, he was never a significant draw for corporate America, with the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Patrick Mahomes soaking up the advertising dollars. It remains to be seen whether Rodgers 3.0 — a happy, go-lucky player in a region known for interpersonal rancor — becomes a marketing draw.
If it’s ever going to happen for Rodgers, it needs to happen now. The clock is ticking on Rodgers’s career, and he has entered the biggest marketplace for anyone looking to make extra money by lending a name and/or a likeness to a brand.