GREEN BAY – There are never any iron-clad guarantees, but with his new contract extension, Aaron Rodgers feels he's taken another significant step toward being able to play his entire career for the Green Bay Packers.

"This shows, in this contract, there's a lot of mutual love and respect, and excitement about keeping this partnership together," Rodgers said in a conference call with reporters on Thursday, one day after signing a multi-year extension that will keep him under contract with the Packers through 2023.

"And doing something I think is pretty cool, being able to start and finish my career as a Packer."

Rodgers' extension carries through the season in which he will turn 40 years old. He's stated as a goal to play until he's 40, and perhaps beyond.

While the ongoing negotiations were never a "stressor" or distraction to his leadership role and preparing for the 2018 season, Rodgers confessed it's a bit of a relief to not worry about the ramifications of playing out the last two years of his prior contract and having the franchise tag potentially come into play down the road.

He also feels the team is happy with the salary-cap numbers moving forward, as after non-traditional elements to the deal were broached and explored by both sides, the structure ended up rather standard.

"They're putting a lot of faith and trust in my continued play, and I have to in turn put trust in the team they will continue to do everything possible to promote the same type of culture we've had here – a winning environment, giving the players and coaches the tools necessary to achieve those goals," Rodgers said.