This week, “big news” was supposed to be part of the Pat McAfee show when Aaron Rodgers joined.

Instead, about 30 seconds into the interview, Rodgers said, “There will be no decision on my future today.”

Man, this guy loves attention.

For Rodgers, the McAfee show has been a boost to his celebrity, and Rodgers has brought listeners to the podcast, too. Rewind to earlier this season and Rodgers used McAfee’s show to proudly declare he wasn’t vaccinated against COVID-19 and then used the show to push misinformation about the pandemic.

What a cheese-head.

He’s also a national face of State Farm insurance and has dated a bunch of actresses; Rodgers always seems to know how to point the spotlight at himself.

And for Broncos Country, this love affair with Rodgers goes back to last offseason, when Denver fans were hopeful he’d leave Green Bay and come to the Mile High City. Instead, Rodgers and the Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst sorted things out and he continued to lead the Packers in 2021.

This season, as it was made clear the Broncos are still in search of “the guy” at quarterback, Rodgers rocky relationship with Green Bay left fans with orange-colored glasses wanting the superstar to come to Denver.

Then, Nathaniel Hackett was hired as head coach, the former Packers offensive coordinator which helped Rodgers win back-to-back NFL MVPs the last two years. Broncos backers went wild.

Instead, Rodgers continues to draw out his decision — he even threatened retirement — and it’s looking like he will inevitably end up where he’s always been, in Wisconsin.

There’s no doubt Green Bay plays in an easier division than does Denver in the AFC West, and on a larger scale, the AFC is loaded with talented teams while the NFC is the easier path back to a Super Bowl. Beyond that, Green Bay is familiar to Rodgers, as is his teammates, the coaching staff and more.

Nothing is certain yet. The Packers still have a ton of cap space to clear before they can keep Rodgers with a massive raise, but they’ve been busy clearing around $25M in cap space this week alone. And even if they don’t give him that raise, Rodgers is under contract for two more years, meaning the Packers would have to trade him. That’s no simple task.

As for the Broncos, they’re better off without Rodgers.

First, they’d have to trade away their first-round picks for the next two years, along with other valuable draft assets. On top of that, the Packers would likely ask for a young star as part of the package, maybe a Noah Fant or even Courtland Sutton? If Denver had a talented, young QB, Green Bay would take that, but of course they don’t.

Second, Rodgers wouldn’t just be costly in acquisition, but in his pay the next two years, too. He’s a $46 million cap hit in 2022, or roughly 22 percent of the team’s salary cap. It’s difficult to build a Super Bowl team around a player demanding that much of the money himself.

And third, Rodgers’ self-centered, fake victimhood, look-at-me schtick has worn thin. After lying to the media and saying he was “immunized” against COVID (people took that as vaccinated) Rodgers came out as unvaxxed and then, weeks later, cried victim as being “canceled.”

Sure, Aaron. One of the faces of the NFL complaining about being canceled, during his one-on-one interview on an incredibly popular podcast; that’s false victimhood.

It’s not just off the field where Rodgers’ attitude and demeanor stinks, but on the field, too. He rarely smiles on the field, but instead rolls his eyes when teammates make a mistake, or all-out berates them for the national audience to see.

Yes, Rodgers is one helluva football player, even if he comes off as a less-than-great teammate. And sure, Rodgers would immediately improve the Broncos offense and the team would almost certainly make the playoffs in 2022 with him.

But trading for the superstar was always an incredibly long shot. He was always going to go back to Green Bay, and continues to use this time as a personal marketing tool.

Now, those Broncos fans who were absolutely certain he would be in the Mile High City in 2022 have to get real with themselves, just like the team does.

Because as of now, the Broncos would be starting Drew Lock in 2022. And, compared to Rodgers, Lock is lost on the field.

Luckily for Denver, they have the 6th-most capitol heading into the NFL Draft, and they have the 6th-most in terms of salary cap space $39M. So, a lot can and will happen this offseason, even though Rodgers won’t be lining up for the orange and blue.