For nearly 40 years, the game show “Jeopardy!” has been an American institution and icon, and it made former host Alex Trebek into a major star.
Trebek died in 2020 due to pancreatic cancer, which led to a long search for a permanent host, and that search entailed a number of temporary guest hosts, which included New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
According to former “Jeopardy!” producer Mike Richards, Rodgers was very close to being picked as the show’s new permanent host.
“As Mike puts it … Aaron was the most prepared guest host — which is saying something since he guest hosted alongside TV pros like Anderson Cooper, Bill Whitaker, Savannah Guthrie, George Stephanopoulos, LeVar Burton, and Robin Roberts, among other notable names,” wrote TMZ.
Aaron Rodgers Was a ‘Jeopardy!’ Host Frontrunner, Ex-Producer Says | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/qOslWjEbaj
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) March 20, 2024
“But, according to MR, Aaron prepped for the show very intensely and was still lovely to everyone on the staff. So, the professional quarterback was seriously considered to replace Alex — and he was apparently interested, too.”
There would’ve been the question of how Rodgers would’ve hosted “Jeopardy!” while also starting under center, but Richards said that Rodgers felt the show’s team would’ve figured something out.
As it turned out, the show’s permanent hosting role eventually went to Ken Jennings, who once won over $4.5 million on it, most of which came during his incredible winning streak in 2004 that spanned 74 consecutive episodes.
Last offseason, Rodgers was traded by the Green Bay Packers, the team that had drafted him in 2005, to the New York Jets, leading to huge expectations for the Jets, a franchise that has long been tortured.
Unfortunately for them, they continued to play the role of Sisyphus last season when Rodgers tore his Achilles during their first offensive series of Week 1.
Rodgers has been committed to making a return to the gridiron, but the optimism the team had last summer has disappeared, and many doubt they will be that competitive in 2024, even if he continues to play at a high level.
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