If the Packers end up hammering out a contract extension with Aaron Rodgers before the regular season starts, they might want to consider throwing a "shark clause" into the deal, just to make sure their starting quarterback stays as far away from sharks as possible for the rest of eternity.
For now, Rodgers is allowed to hang out with sharks whenever he wants, and apparently, he had a "terrifying" experience with one last month when he was filming a segment for Discovery Channel's "Shark Week," which is set to air starting on July 22.
Although Rodgers offered a brief glimpse into his shark experience last month when he shared a picture on Instagram, he didn't really offer any details on the situation.
However, that all changed over the weekend, when he shared his shark story with Peter King for Football Morning in America. According to Rodgers, his one-on-one experience with the shark took place just off the coast of San Diego, and it was just as terrifying as his picture makes it look.
"Seriously. I was terrified," Rodgers told King. "I was just thinking about what the expert they brought in had told me. He said there's three sharks in the water. There's the blue, the white, and the mako. The mako, if it's bigger than you, get out. If it's not, stay in and keep your eyes on it at all times. Never turn your back to it. The white, you look at it straight in the eyes the entire time. The only way it's gonna come near you is if you're not looking at it. And the blue, he's gonna come right up to you. When he comes up to you, he's got a long nose. You just Miyagi that."
Basically, all Rodgers had to do to keep safe was keep eye contact with the shark as long it was a white or small mako shark. Unfortunately for Rodgers though, he was approached by a blue shark, which meant he was going to have to channel his inner-Mr. Miyagi to keep the animal at bay.
"So this blue, he literally came up to me -- spoiler alert -- I put my hand on his head," Rodgers said. "I pushed him down to the right. Nicely, gently."
The Packers quarterback said things got so intense that he kind of blacked out.
"I was terrified. Honestly, I was blacked out," Rodgers said. "It just came up to me and all I was thinking was, 'Oh my god it's actually happening. What do I do?' Okay, boom. I just moved his head down to the right. But it was fun. I have a different appreciation for sharks now. I'm okay with 'em."
If you're wondering why someone worth millions of dollars would be willing to jump in the ocean and swim with a wild shark, the answer was easy for Rodgers: He wanted to overcome his fear of sharks.
"The only reason I wanted to do the shark thing is I have two main fears: sharks and heights. I'm not gonna jump out of a plane. But sharks, I don't know," Rodgers said. "I watched "Jaws" when I was a kid and always felt like they're in the water, out in the ocean water, and one's got my name on its back and it's gonna munch on me. I wanted to conquer that fear because I love the water. I love paddle-boarding."
Fortunately for Rodgers, he didn't turn into shark food, which is also good news for the Packers, because that would be a horrible way to lose your starting quarterback. Rodgers' segment is set to air at some point next week during Discovery Channel's seven-day celebration of sharks (July 22-29). Coincidentally, Rodgers' segment could end up airing on the same day that the Packers report to training camp (July 25), and if Mike McCarthy ends up watching, no one will be surprised if he orders Rodgers to never go near a shark again.
