New Jets quarterback, four-time NFL MVP, future Hall of Famer and HBO “Hard Knocks” star Aaron Rodgers huddles with Steve Serby for an exclusive Q&A.

Q: If someone were to build the perfect quarterback, what would you hope he or she would take from Aaron Rodgers?

A: Probably the mental side of it. I’ve always been real good at being able to think quickly, recall things quickly, be able to make subtle adjustments in protection or in the routes that we have in order to get us in a good situation. I always felt like I can change the game with my mind.

Q: Do you think you can play until 45, as Tom Brady did?

A: I think if you would’ve asked me five, six years ago I would have said probably not. But with the change that’s happened and some of the changes off the field I’ve made, I definitely see that now as a possibility where before I just didn’t think I’d want to, honestly.

Q: Is it safe to conclude that you would love to retire as a New York Jet?

A: Oh definitely, yeah definitely. I’d love to play a few years here, not sure if that few is two, or three or … I mean, five would kind of get me to 45. But I definitely don’t want to be a one-and-done here.

Q: Does life begin at 40?

A: (Laugh) I hope so. I’m gonna figure that out here in December. I really hope so. Thirties have been a great decade here, I really enjoyed my 30s. I think 20s is when you’re kind of figuring life out, 30s you start to see the whole picture and perspective changes in a new and exciting way … 40s, I don’t know, I have a lot of friends in their 40s just really enjoying life. Hopefully it’s a great decade for me as well.

Q: Does that Super Bowl trophy in the facility still look lonely to you?

A: I haven’t stared at it in a while. But yeah, just the one probably needs some friends.

Q: Describe that feeling of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy, and have you discussed that with your teammates?

A: Not that specific feeling. It’s surreal, for sure, because you grow up as I did watching old VHS tapes of the Super Bowl, and that’s what you’re dreaming about. But it’s surreal in the moment, and it’s like a whirlwind and it’s been a long time and … I need to feel that feeling again, I miss it.

Q: Tell me what you see in regards to winning a New York Jets championship.

A: The visualization started years ago with an old basketball coach of mine, and it was never about results, it was always about specific plays, positive plays in your mind. So when I visualize, I’m not visualizing necessarily that, visualizing more plays that I’m gonna be expected to make in the game. So I put myself in the game in my mind. So I play on scenarios and work through different things that I’d like to accomplish.

Q: What do you think New York City would look and feel like if you were to lead the Jets to a Super Bowl championship?

A: I think already there’s incredible excitement, and it’s been a long time from 1969. It’s also been a long time since the Jets made the playoffs, so it would be a crazy experience, and I obviously grew up a tremendous sports fan so I know how much it meant to the city for the ’86 Miracle Mets to win it, and I’ve seen a great documentary “30 for 30” on that … obviously the 27 Yankee championships, just how the city turns out. The Giants won a couple during my time in the league, and I know the kind or response that that brought the city. … But it’d be really special if I think all of our fans in Jersey and New York would kind of lose their minds.

Q: Do you think you might at sometime have a New York Jets Super Bowl dream?

A: I believe in the manifestation of the desires of your heart and speaking things into existence, so when we talk, we talk about the opportunity that we have to do something special. But that would have to be a Super Bowl Week visualization time for that.

Q: How would winning a Super Bowl here in New York impact or change your legacy?

A: I feel like I’ve been able to be around a lot of great people and accomplish a lot in the league individually, collectively as a team. So I think it would just add to it in a really sweet way, especially after such a beautiful 18-year chapter in Green Bay and now starting fresh in New York. There’s some guys who changed teams after long stints with other organizations have done it. It would be nice to add my name to that list.

Q: How would you describe, particularly in the fourth quarter, your on-field mentality?

A: I like to be the same from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. Obviously, when you’re in the fourth quarter and it’s crunch time, there’s a different level of energy in the stadium and you feel more of that kind of nervous energy around you — not inside you, but just kind of around you. You just gotta be the same stoic, competitive player in all quarters, and the fourth quarter obviously gets a little more attention ’cause a lot of times the game’s on the line.

Q: What do you want the on-field personality of your offense to be?

A: The best offenses that I’ve been a part of were very high in [their] execution, great in situational football — so third down, red zone. So I’d like us to be very efficient in those situations, and also clean. I think the best offenses are usually pretty penalty-free, so I’d like us to play really clean and really efficient.

Q:.How would you characterize the on-field personality of your defense?

A: Violent. Very violent group. They fly to the ball, they swarm, they tackle, they punch at the football, they play with an edge, they play with a lot of swagger. But it’s a violent group.

Q: How would you characterize your leadership style?

A: I think it’s authentically, mine. I’ve learned a lot from a lot of great people over the years, I think that’s part of the growth and can be evolution of leadership. I was trying to gain something from somebody you’re rubbing shoulders with every day, I’ve had some great mentors over the years — best coaches in high school, with Jeff Tedford in college, Craig Rigsbee at Butte [community college] and Jeff Jordan at Butte, Tom Clemens in Green Bay and Mike McCarthy and a lot of great people I’ve been around. Just try and gain a little something from each of ’em. … It’s gotta be authentic, so it’s understanding when to talk, when not to talk, when to get on somebody, when to have kid gloves and be gentle with somebody … but bringing that fiery competitive nature all the time, and also making sure you’re cutting up and keeping things light because we’re still just playing a game.

Q: That was my next question, when are you most likely to crack a joke in the huddle?

A: Oh, TV timeouts for sure. Those are long, you know you got the three-minute timeouts, it feels like about five or six. You might have your eyes wander around and find somebody in the stands to point out. I always think about the John Candy reference from Joe Montana [in Super Bowl XXIII] before the drive. Every now and then you see somebody funny or see a funny sign in the stands and crack a joke about somebody in the huddle. You like to keep things light ’cause there’s enough pressure in the game as it is and the pressure to perform well that all of our guys feel, so it’s always good to cut up a little bit.

Q: What is the biggest obstacle or adversity you had to overcome?

A: I think it’s injuries, because injuries don’t just affect you physically, it’s also mentally difficult, especially if you go on injured reserve to be separated from the team. Both my collarbones were very frustrating, difficult injuries to deal with both physically and mentally. I had ACL reconstruction in ’04, that was a really difficult recovery. I was in college then. Anytime you’re banged up with something significant, the adversity is not just physical, but it’s the mental part too.

Q: What criticism have you felt was most unfair or bothered you most?

A: I think for the most part it was really just a couple of people who were disgruntled for whatever reason. But I never let it bother me too much, I just felt like it was a mischaracterization when you have two people saying something and the other few hundred I’ve played with usually saying the complete opposite story.

Q: Favorite motivational or inspirational sayings?

A: I like to read a lot, and take quotes out of certain books. I enjoy the poet Rumi and some of his quotes I enjoy looking at or reading or posting around my house. I also enjoy different levels of poetry, always been a fan of Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”

Q: If you could pick the brain of any quarterback in NFL history, who would it be?

A: I always enjoyed, on the videos I used to watch, Ken Stabler. The old quarterback was different because they called so many of their own plays. … Kenny Stabler would have been a fun one to sit down with.

Q: What has been your most bitter defeat?

A: That’s tough. There’s a couple, both against the same team [Seahawks]. The Fail Mary in 2012 with the replacement refs, and probably in 2014, the NFC Championship against them.

Q: Is Eli Manning a Hall of Famer?

A: Yeah. He’s won a couple of championships, a couple of Super Bowl MVPs, had a couple of great runs, had a nice, beautiful, long career.

Q: Have you noticed any signs of intelligent life on earth?

A: I’ve seen a couple of weird things in the skies. Definitely unidentified flying objects, but that doesn’t necessarily mean what people would say alien life, because I think there’s some technologies out there that we might not be privy to yet, but it’s possible, I think it’s possible. To believe that in this crazy universe that we’re the only life might be a little small-minded. I happen to think there’s some other intelligent life out there.

Q: I meant aside from the possibility of aliens, I meant here on earth, is there intelligent life?

A: (Laugh) Yeah, I’ve seen some of that, yeah. Wow.

Q: Three dinner guests?

A: JFK, he’d be a fun one, Jeff Bridges, Sam Elliott.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: “Tombstone” and “The Big Lebowski.”

Q: Favorite actress?

A: Zoe Saldana.

Q: Favorite rapper/singer/entertainer?

A: That’s three different things, so rapper I’m gonna go old-school and say Tupac. … Band, I’m gonna go ’90s Counting Crows, and singer/entertainer performer, I’m gonna go Taylor Swift.

Q: I thought you might say The Make (his old record label’s band from his hometown, Chico, Ca.).

A: Oh, The Make, yeah! I don’t think they’re still playing (laugh).

Q: Favorite meal?

A: I like breakfast for any meal, so steak and eggs — breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, whatever.

Q:. What signs do you see that tell you how hungry your team is?

A: I just think there’s an energy you feel in the locker room, and if you’ve played a long time, you kind of get a sense of where your team’s at, if they actually have a chance or if it’s gonna be a struggle to figure out the identity. Just seeing guys and how they approach their job and the professionalism and the good balance of veteran leadership and also young, hungry guys who are figuring out as they go but are bring a lot of great energy and excitement to the team. It’s a good balance that we have.

Q: The moments before kickoff, the national anthem’s being played, what is going through your gut at that point?

A: A lot of gratitude, I think. I’ll be standing next to Randall Cobb, one of my best friends in the whole world, father of my godson, and just a lot of gratitude for that moment to be still playing, to be healthy, to be alive and to be enjoying life. You know there’ll be some butterflies probably in pregame warmups, but once the anthem hits, it’ll be just gratitude for that moment, try to stay present, and take it all in and enjoy it … and then go out there and execute.

Q: Is this a playoff team?

A: I think so, that’s always been first goal is to win the division, that gives you an automatic berth into the playoffs and a home game, so that’s kind of the first goal that’s on the list. We got a tough division though, we have to see where we’re at these first three weeks, we have two division games. But that’s always the first goal.

Q: What’s an Aaron Rodgers guarantee for Jets fans?

A: I guarantee that there’s gonna be 11 that show up on the field on the offensive side, on the defensive side, and on the special teams side that are gonna go out, play their hearts out for each other and for the fans and the organization.

Q: Would this season be a failure if the Jets do not reach the playoffs?

A: That’s an interesting way of looking at things because … the conversation around what actually is success and failure, Giannis Antetokounmpo, amazing player with the Milwaukee Bucks had a good comment about that. But listen, we play this sport to win games, to win championships, and that’s the focus. So every year there’s gonna be a lot of teams that don’t reach that goal, in fact 31 of ’em, I don’t know that every single one of those teams would look at their season as a failure. But we have high expectations, we understand that, and we have high goals as well.

Q: What would your message to Jets fans be?

A: Show up early. Be as loud as you possibly can, and … put your seat belt on because it’s gonna be a wild ride.