The emotions are real: Aaron Rodgers reveals what the Packers still mean to him — and it’s deeper than anyone expected.QQ
Future Hall of Fame quarterback will face his old team for the first time next weekend, when the Steelers face the Packers on “Sunday Night Football.
Between the moment the Green Bay Packers drafted Jordan Love in 2020 until the team traded Aaron Rodgers to the New York Jets in 2023, tension was probably the best word to describe the future Hall of Famer’s relationship with the organization — and the front office in particular.
Two years removed from that tension, Rodgers is getting ready to play against the Packers for the first time in his career. But the quarterback, now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, doesn’t feel like this is a revenge game.
Robert Saleh is ALREADY coaching his way back in the head coach conversation…Robert Saleh is ALREADY coaching his way back in the head coach conversation…
“I don’t have any animosity toward the organization,” Rodgers said on Wednesday. “Obviously, I wish things would have been better in our last year there. But I have a great relationship with a lot of people still in that organization. This is not a revenge game for me. I’m just excited to see some of those guys and be on ‘Sunday Night Football’ again.”
https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?creatorScreenName=wendellfp&dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1981078740353364036&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fatozsports.com%2Fnfl%2Fgreen-bay-packers-news%2Faaron-rodgers-candid-feelings-toward-packers-emotional-showdown%2F&sessionId=05505020d086fff2dfe87fabe67819f81464a7a2&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px
Aaron Rodgers has now different feelings about how the Packers handled everything
After being traded by the Packers, Aaron Rodgers saw an opposite reality on the New York Jets. It was a different structure, different results, and now the quarterback is with an organization that looks much more similar to the Packers after all.
“We’re always working on ourselves and trying to be better than we were the previous day, previous month, previous year,” Rodgers explained. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder, maybe. I have a lot of great memories from my time there. A lot of great interactions with fans over the years. [. . .] I grew up there. I spent 18 years there from 21 to 39, so I’m thankful for my time there. Obviously, I would have loved to ride off into the sunset after a Super Bowl, but that’s not the way the league goes sometimes.”
Even though Rodgers feels like his final years in Green Bay could’ve been better, he understands the franchise’s process to move on from him.
“I knew the writing was on the wall when Jordan was picked, and it was a matter of time,” Rodgers added. “I happened to win MVP the first two years he was with us, but I knew at some point there would be a change, and if I wanted to play, it would probably have to be elsewhere. So I understand the situation.”
Locker room impact in Pittsburgh
All of the talk this offseason was that the Steelers were making a big mistake by bringing Aaron Rodgers into their building. Narratives about Rodgers being a bad teammate or not buying in permeated throughout sports media. Yet, this is the most accountable the Steelers’ offense has been in a long time. There are far fewer headaches and boneheaded plays. Rodgers’ teammates rave about him.
On Tuesday, Mike Tomlin noted that Rodgers was in the facility early, studying at the UPMC Sports Complex despite it being his off day. Not only has he shown the tangible ability to still play football at a high level, but the intangibles he’s brought have been second to none. He has led by example, he has assimilated into the Steelers’ culture, and above all else, he’s shown an insatiable appetite to win.
On Sunday, those two worlds collide. And it will be a special moment for Packers fans, and for Aaron Rodgers.
