GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers is making a return to Jeopardy! This time, however, the Green Bay Packers quarterback will be the host instead of a contestant.
He revealed Tuesday that he has been asked to be a guest host for an episode of his favorite game show — one he appeared on in celebrity edition of the show in 2015.
Rodgers, who is preparing for Saturday’s NFC Divisional playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams, first mentioned it during his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He later apologized for letting the news out.
A representative from “Jeopardy!” declined comment and said no announcement has been made about future guest hosts.
“I may have jumped the gun a little bit, so I apologize to ‘Jeopardy!’ if they wanted to announce it,” Rodgers said. “I just got so excited on the show earlier. It just went down the last couple of days, us figuring it out. It is very exciting. It’s for the offseason. We’ll be even more excited when that opportunity gets a little closer, but man the show has been so special to me over the years.
“It’s been a staple at my house here in Green Bay for the last 16 years — 6 o’clock watching Alex [Trebek] and trying to get as many questions as I can.”
Trebek, the show’s long-time host, died of cancer at age 80 on Nov. 8.
“When the opportunity came up [for ‘Celebrity Jeopardy!’] in 2015, I mean that was a dream come true — it really was — to be on there,” Rodgers said. “To get to meet Alex was just such a special moment, and we’re all obviously sad about his passing.
“There’s this nostalgic connection to certain figures in our life based on our childhood and where we were at and the times we had those memories, it almost makes these people feel like family, like you know them.”
Rodgers compared meeting Trebek to the first time he met football announcers like Keith Jackson and Dan Fouts, who broadcasted one of his college games at Cal, to Pat Summerall and John Madden when he got to the NFL.
“We all have so much love and affection, I think, for what [Trebek] meant for that half hour, that 22 minutes of our lives on a daily basis for those of us who were big fans of the show,” Rodgers said. “So to be able to be a guest host is really, really special for me and I can’t wait for the opportunity.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
