(Credits: Netflix)

As Netflix aims to step further into the world of sports, the streaming giants have announced a three-part documentary series focusing on the life and career of NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Due for release on December 17th, Aaron Rodgers: Enigma will precede Netflix’s airing of two American football games on Christmas Day.

The announcement of this documentary project gives some insight into how this new sports angle will fit into Netflix’s existing programming. Alongside Aaron Rodgers, the platform has also announced multiple other sports documentaries and series, most notably a third series of Full Swing, focused on the PGA golf tour. However, Aaron Rodgers: Enigma is set to give a much more in-depth look into the life of the quarterback.

Having started his career at Green Bay Packers, Rodgers has been playing quarterback for the New York Jets since 2023. One of the NFL’s most renowned, enduring, and respected quarterbacks, Rodgers led the Packers to victory at Super Bowl XLV back in 2010, for which he was awarded Super Bowl MVP. Although he is, at this point, in the twilight of his playing career, he is bringing in results for the Jets.

In recent years, Rodgers has been more often noted for his controversial political views than his in-game performances. For instance, the Jets quarterback was one of the most prominent figures in the NFL to encourage athletes not to get vaccinated against covid-19. Further, he then claimed that both covid-19 and AIDS were the creation of the government and the pharmaceutical industry.

Over the years, Rodgers has given airtime to countless outlandish conspiracy theories, ranging from his thoughts about the assassination of John F. Kennedy to his defamatory statements about talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who, Rodgers alleged, had been close friends with the notorious paedophile and sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Although the Netflix documentary is set to mainly focus on his athletic career, it would be difficult for producers to ignore this side of Rodgers’ career. The synopsis of the documentary series does state that it will “explore [Rodgers’] life and career through the intimate and difficult parts that made him a household name on and off the field.” It is the “off the field” part which suggests the show will touch upon his extracurricular work as a conspiracy theorist and contrarian.

Specifically, Netflix have revealed that the documentary will track the journey of Rodgers as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon prior to the beginning of the Jets’ 2023 season, which saw them finish third in the AFC East. In a trailer for the documentary, released alongside the announcement, Rodgers discusses the injury with Dr. Neal Elattrache, an orthopaedic surgeon who helped the quarterback to recover.