Rodgers: ‘They Want to Move On And, Now, So Do I’

Exactly one year after signing a three-year contract, Aaron Rodgers went on "The Pat McAfee Show" to discuss the path that has him asking for a trade to the New York Jets.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Mar 15, 2023 4:29 PM EDT

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Exactly one year ago, Aaron Rodgers signed a three-year, $150 million contract with the Green Bay Packers.

At the June minicamp, Rodgers said the agreement “definitely” meant he’d finish his career with the Packers.

“Unless they trade me this year, next year,” Rodgers said with a smile.

That trade is going to happen. The subject of trade speculation for weeks, Rodgers on Wednesday said he wants to be traded to the New York Jets.

“At this point, as I sit here, I think since Friday, I made it clear my intention was to play and my intention was to play for the New York Jets,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show.

What happened?

Rodgers isn’t quite sure, but he noticed a change during the season.

“That just wasn’t the sentiment that I felt throughout the season,” Rodgers said. “Especially even toward the end of the season, it felt like everybody was ready to move on. I was interested by what the conversations would be in the week after the season, but it was pretty obvious they weren’t standing on the table [to keep him but] they weren’t doing the opposite, though. It was kind of in the middle.”

Then came Rodgers’ four-day darkness retreat in February. At the time, Rodgers said he was “90 percent” leaning toward retirement. He took one day to imagine life in retirement and another day to imagine a 19th NFL season.

“When I came out, I was really interested in what the landscape was, where Green Bay was at and, obviously, if I wanted to play, what were the options?” Rodgers said.

Instead, as he went through the hundreds of text messages that were waiting on his phone, he noticed there were no options in Green Bay. Rodgers said he heard from “multiple people that I trust around the league, players mostly,” that he was being shopped by the Packers.

“It was clear to me at that point that, although the Packers were going to say the right thing publicly, that they were ready to move on,” Rodgers said. “I don’t know what changed that or what moved that.”

Rodgers said he wasn’t playing the role of the victim but wished the Packers had been up front with him at the start of the offseason.

“I wish that in the beginning of the offseason that had been the conversation, because I love direct communication,” Rodgers said. “If they had just said, ‘Listen, we think it’s time to move in a different direction. We love you. You’re going to be a Packer Hall of Famer. You’re going to go into the Hall as a Packer. We’re going to retire your number; whatever it might be, but it’s time to move on.’

“I would’ve said, ‘Thank you so much just for telling me that. I really, really appreciate that. That means the world to me that you would tell me that.’ Because I really believe that’s the sentiment and that’s fine. It really is. It’s totally fine. This is an incredible profession but it’s a tough business, for sure.”

However, speaking to reporters at the Scouting Combine on Feb. 28, general manager Brian Gutekunst said he hadn’t had any conversations with Rodgers since the end-of-season exit interviews. According to a source, the lack of conversation had nothing to do with Gutekunst. Rather, it was Rodgers not returning messages. Indeed, Rodgers’ trade request was made through intermediaries. The team had no idea what he was going to tell McAfee on Wednesday.

That “tough business” became apparent to Rodgers during the 2020 NFL Draft. The Packers, fresh off a trip to the NFC Championship Game, drafted quarterback Jordan Love in the first round rather than a player who could help the team take the next step.

The writing was on the wall at that point, though Rodgers kept Love at bay by winning back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and 2021. The combination of his so-so season, the team’s losing record and Love’s ascension and contract status meant now was the time for change.

“I think there’s probably people who are really wanting to move on, and I get it. I’m not upset about it,” Rodgers said. “I’ve got nothing but love in my heart for every Packer fan and everybody that works in the organization. My life is better because of my time in Green Bay.

“But we’ve just got to look at the reality. They want to move on. They don’t want me to come back, and that’s fine. They’re ready to move on with Jordan. That’s awesome. Jordan’s going to be a great player. He’s a fucking great kid. He had a really good year this year, getting better on the look team. He’s got a bright future in front of him. They’ve got a good young team.”

For now, Rodgers is in limbo. He’s not really a member of the Packers anymore. He’s not really a member of the Jets yet. A couple times, he put the pressure on the Packers to make a trade happen.

“The fact of the matter is, you’ve got an aging face of the franchise for the last 15 years that it’s time to do right by.”

Rodgers spoke for almost an hour. He said he’s not mad. He didn’t go scorched-Earth on the team that drafted him in the first round in 2005. Whenever it’s official, it will not be an ugly divorce, like it was in 2008 with Favre, with it taking years to heal those wounds.

“I have nothing but love and appreciation,” Rodgers said. “It’s been bittersweet. Coming to this reality has been really bittersweet because I was drafted by Green Bay – fucking love that city, love that organization and always going to have for that organization – but the facts are right now they want to move on and, now, so do I.”