Out of the Darkness

Instant New York Times Bestseller

"A masterwork. ... O'Connor answers every question, deftly and deeply, that we've had about the most controversial person in America's biggest game." —Peter King

Four-time New York Times bestselling sport biographer Ian O’Connor pulls back the curtain on four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, delivering the definitive portrait of the legendary yet mysterious quarterback who has astonished, befuddled, yet always captivated fans of America’s #1 sport.

Aaron Rodgers is among the two or three most talented players to ever hold the most important job in American team sports – quarterback. He also stands as the most mysterious and polarizing figure in the modern-day national pastime that is professional football.

From his controversial Covid stance to his methods of spiritual awakening to his estrangement from his family to his high-profile romances to his devastating Achilles injury a mere four plays into his New York Jets career, Rodgers has long dominated the NFL’s news cycle.

At thirty-nine, in search of a challenge that would rejuvenate him, Rodgers divorced the iconic Green Bay Packers of Vince Lombardi fame for the Jets, who have not appeared in a Super Bowl since Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon. The trade made Rodgers the biggest story in the biggest league in the biggest market. By far.

That story only got bigger when Rodgers shockingly went down on the night of 9/11, in front of a packed house that roared for him when he took the field carrying an American flag, and in front of the biggest Monday Night Football audience in ESPN history, peaking at more than 25 million viewers across all platforms. Rodgers then shocked the world by pulling off the fastest recorded comeback from an Achilles tear, returning to practice eleven weeks after surgery. Remarkably enough, he would have played again in the 2023 season, at age 40, had the Jets remained in playoff contention.

Ian O’Connor uses hundreds of original interviews to pull back the curtain and answer the most penetrating questions about the league’s most enigmatic player. Just like he did in his defining bios of Bill Belichick, Mike Krzyzewski, Derek Jeter, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer, O’Connor reveals all sides of an all-time great and delivers a portrait of a complex man that will forever shape the way he is viewed.

"I knew--I just knew--that Ian O'Connor would paint a masterwork on Aaron Rodgers. This book perfectly details the roots of the enigmatic Rodgers, starting with the World War II fighter-pilot grandfather with no fear, the quasi-rebellious father who refused to do what his domineering dad said just because. Wonder about Rodgers' unflagging confidence? You won't after you see the kid who reported for his first day at junior college, determined to shred the best cover guy on the team. O'Connor answers every question, deftly and deeply, that we've had about the most controversial person in America's biggest game." -- Peter King, National Sports Media Association Hall of Famer and three-time National Sportswriter of the Year

"Aaron Rodgers is one of the most uniquely complex superstar athletes of my lifetime and Ian O Connor peels back dozens of layers, maybe hundreds. The depth of reporting is relentless. Ian goes a mile deep and keeps on digging. Every story, better than the next. ... I've wanted this book to be written and Ian delivers a masterclass in storytelling." -- Colin Cowherd, host of Fox Sports' The Herd

"America's premier sports biographer has done it again. With exquisite detail and energetic prose, Ian O'Connor pulls back the curtain on this country's most enigmatic athlete, telling the real Aaron Rodgers story with all of its polarizing complexities. Many sports fans look at Rodgers and ask, 'What's with this guy?' O'Connor goes deep in addressing that question, and the answers will amaze." -- Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times sports columnist and panelist on ESPN's Around the Horn

"I appreciate that kind of research that [O'Connor] did...I commend him. He was trying to do a really good job and get the entire picture."
-- Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets

"An account that tells a story relevant to readers in 2024 that likely also will be an important resource for historians of the sport for decades to come." -- Neil Best, Newsday

"O'Connor is a terrific writer who...makes you feel like you were present for the humiliating 2005 NFL draft when Rodgers fell way below the top five picks he had been promised he'd be among." -- Chris Hewitt, (Minneapolis) Star Tribune

"Ian O'Connor's biographies are always a must-read and whether you like or loathe Rodgers he's undeniably a fascinating sportsman. It's very good." -- Brendan Crowley, Sports Book Reviews

"A well-crafted portrait of perhaps the most talented QB of all time." -- Kirkus Reviews

"One of the greatest writers I have ever seen. Ian O'Connor is a spectacular talent as a writer. ...If you want somebody to write something on you, you want it to be Ian O'Connor. Go get the book just because of him." -- Stephen A. Smith, The Stephen A. Smith Show

"Fascinating." -- New Yorker

"It's so freakin' good. The detail and the layers and the different people he talked to, seriously, it's so good. Much respect to Ian. This is a great football book. Highly recommend." -- Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Gunslinger, the Remarkable, Improbable, Iconic Life of Brett Favre

"Ian O'Connor has done it once again with Out of the Darkness, which is everything you would expect from a gifted reporter and storyteller, and sheds as much light on the enigma that is Rodgers as could ever possibly be shed. Just a terrific read."
-- Mike Vaccaro, New York Post

"I'm pretty sure Ian O'Connor could write about the history of dirt and I would buy the book. O'Connor is a fantastic writer ...and exactly who I'd want to be as an author." -- Kelly Crandall, Racer.com

"Out of the Darkness is one of the most complete biographies of a pivotal figure of his times. It is also one of the best books on football you will read." -- Brooklyn Digest

"Ian O'Connor's biography of Aaron Rodgers isn't just a great football book, it's a great book overall. ...Incredibly reported and written." -- Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports

"Some authors might have tried to troll the ultimate troller. Ian is so earnest and unsparing that he turned someone unknowable--especially the transformation of his greatness -- quite human, quite understandable, quite endearing."
-- Seth Wickersham, ESPN, bestselling author of It's Better to Be Feared

"Aaron Rodgers is a nut. Or a genius. Or one of the greatest football quarterbacks in history. Well, the last part is definitely true. And sportswriter Ian O'Connor talked to everyone before delivering this biography about one of the most complicated figures in the most popular sport in America." -- Parade

"Ian's book on Aaron Rodgers is fantastic. Highly recommend." -- Zack Rosenblatt, The Athletic

"You might think you know Aaron Rodgers, but you don't. Not like Ian does after so much deep reporting. This is a highly enjoyable read."
-- Dan Pompei, The Athletic

"I highly recommend it. So well reported and written. Rodgers is a fascinating character and Ian does a great job telling his story." -- Brian Costello, New York Post

"I'm four chapters into Rodgers and I swear I've already said, 'How did he find that?' three dozen times. What a fascinating character study. So, so, so good." -- Armen Keteyian, New York Times bestselling author of The Price: What It Takes to Win in College Football's Era of Chaos

"I loved this book. I'm not a big football fan, but I was so fascinated by Aaron Rodgers' story." -- Harvey Levin, founder of TMZ

"Ian O'Connor's Out of the Darkness is a Shakespearean tale of a prince and his prodigal son that answers the question, 'What if Macbeth could throw like Montana?' Many themes are not so subtly buried within the text, including obsessiveness, abandonment, wealth, friendship, and vengeance." -- Kyle Brandt, Good Morning Football

"Sports biographer extraordinaire Ian O'Connor...uses his keen reporting eye and attention to detail to explore who Rodgers is beneath his championship arm and controversial brain. Already a New York Times bestseller, the fifth of O'Connor's career along with those about Bill Belichick, Derek Jeter, and Mike Krzyzewski, it's a great read for any football fan." -- Boston Globe

"Rigorously reported...There's a lot to root for in the Aaron Rodgers story, because nothing came easy. O'Connor delivers a clear sense of his evolution as a person as well as a passer. It's a remarkable journey." -- Washington Post

Ian O'Connor is the author of five previous books, including four straight New York Times bestsellers--Coach K, Belichick, The Captain, and Arnie & Jack. He has finished in first place twenty times in national writing contests, including those conducted by the Pro Football Writers of America, Golf Writers Association of America, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Associated Press Sports Editors, who named him the No. 1 columnist in the country in his circulation category three times. O'Connor has been a columnist at ESPN, The New York Post, USA Today, and The New York Daily News.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.