Aaron Rodgers Says He’ll Give Mike McCarthy ‘a Big Old Hug’ Sunday

When the Packers host the Cowboys on Sunday, Dallas head coach Mike McCarthy will coach in Green Bay for the first time since he was fired. On Monday, McCarthy downplayed the return a bit but still acknowledged how much the community means to his family.

When McCarthy arrives, he should expect an embrace from his former quarterback. Aaron Rodgers said he can’t wait to see McCarthy before the game on Sunday.

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“I’m gonna give him a big old hug, I can tell you that much,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’m excited to see Mike.”

Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 years in Green Bay together, from the time McCarthy was hired in 2006 to when he was fired in ’18. Over that span, the two helped lead the Packers to six division titles and a Super Bowl championship in the ’10 season.

The Packers quarterback said he doesn’t know what the team has in store for McCarthy on Sunday, but he hopes he gets a positive reaction.

“I know it means a lot to him to come back. I really hope the reception for him is as warm as it needs to be,” Rodgers said. “He meant a lot to the town for 13 years, was a big part of our success, obviously as the head boss he’ll be in the Packer Hall of Fame at some point.”

In addition to McCarthy, several Cowboys assistants were members of those Packers teams as either coaches or players, and Rodgers acknowledged their return as well. However, the story will be about McCarthy and Rodgers, the two leaders of Green Bay’s last Super Bowl championship team.

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