Before Packers-Steelers, Love for Green Bay Will Never Leave Aaron Rodgers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After the 2022 season fell short of the playoffs, the Green Bay Packers traded Aaron Rodgers. At the time, it probably was in the best interests of everyone. It certainly was for the Packers, who had Jordan Love waiting in the wings.

Rodgers might not have always seen eye to eye with Mike McCarthy or Matt LaFleur. He might not have appreciated Ted Thompson’s ignore-free-agency-at-all-costs approach to roster building or Brian Gutekunst’s decision to draft Love on the heels of a trip to the NFC Championship Game.

But one thing never wavered, and that was Rodgers’ love for Green Bay.

A day before the Packers play at Pittsburgh in the preseason opener, the Steelers put together a Zoom call between Rodgers and Packers beat reporters on Wednesday.

The final question went to WBAY-TV’s Dave Schreoder. It was a simple one: What was he most thankful for in his career.

“Definitely the people I got to do it with, you know? That’s what makes it so much fun. You know even here [in Pittsburgh], being 42 and not having the extended time with these guys, you just really love those moments when you’re off and when you’re joking and playing cards and hanging out and just shooting the sh**.

“That’s what this game’s all about. It’s about the relationships, and I’m just most thankful for all the men and women who’ve been in my life through this game over the years. So many great people in Green Bay, in the entire organization, top to bottom. You know, just salt-of-the-earth type of people.

“And I think a lot about the kind of the unsung heroes, the unknown people, the Larry Van Alstines of the world, who was our whitecap referee for so long at practice. We went hunting, actually pheasant hunting, a couple times together (and became) close. He’s like a fabric of the team.

“I think about Larry McCarren, ‘The Rock,’ just what a great dude he is, and how many hundreds of games he called of mine and just always loved the interaction with him. The guys in the equipment room – Kevin Nelson and Tom Bakken and Red Batty and Brian Nehring and Tim Odea and all the other understudies and, obviously, Andy (Gruber). Just so many great people that I got to meet over the years that I never would have met without this game and that I still consider friends.

“And then, obviously, all the teammates I’ve had over the years who had such a big impact on my life, and still talk to a lot of them. A lot of the quarterbacks I’ve been able to be around and help mentor, and who’ve mentored me, and I’ve learned stuff from them.

“But if you miss out on the relationships in this game, you’re kind of missing the whole gist of what we’re actually doing. Obviously, we’re judged on our wins and losses and paid based off our production. But the thing that actually lasts the longest is those people that impact your life, and there’s been a lot of those, a lot of especially in Green Bay, it had a huge impact on my life. So, I think about those people a lot.”

Lost Opportunity

The NFL, in its infinite wisdom, scheduled this game in Pittsburgh. After last year’s regular-season game was played in Pittsburgh, a return to Green Bay would have made a lowly preseason game must-see TV. Instead, the game will only be aired locally.

Rodgers said he “100 percent” wishes this game would be played at Lambeau.

“When I heard it was possible to play both my former teams, I was really hoping this one was going to be in Green Bay, not just to get back at Lambeau one more time, but to head out to Chives for a dinner and maybe head out to Green Bay Country Club for a quick nine or something,” Rodgers said.

“I was really hoping it was going to be in Green Bay, for a lot of reasons. It would have been strange being in that locker room and stuff, but I would have found my way over, like many former players have over the years. Found my way over to Flea’s office [Flea, aka Brian Engel, is the team’s vice president of player health and performance] and hang out back there and see some of the guys and see some of the trainers and equipment staff and all the people I really care about that still work there. Yeah, I was definitely bummed out that we weren’t in Lambeau for this one.”

So, with this being Rodgers’ final season in the NFL – subject to change, of course – his big return will have to wait until he is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years after his final game. At that point, the Packers presumably will retire his No. 12 jersey.

“There first has to be an invite back,” Rodgers said.

Of course that will happen.

“We’ll see about that,” Rodgers replied, “but, yeah, I’m always going to have such a strong tie to Green Bay and the organization. If that comes to fruition, that could be a cool deal.”

Aaron Rodgers ‘Grew Up’ in Wisconsin

Rodgers said he misses his house and gave a couple more plugs to Chives, the restaurant located in nearby Suamico.

But then, he brought it back home to the people – those who work at Lambeau Field and those who fill the metal bleachers.

“The falls there are just awesome, when the weather gets that cool little nip,” he said. “I loved the night games at Lambeau, especially the Sunday nights, Monday nights and occasional Thursday nights. Just so much fun. There’s nothing like that crowd. Been other places, but there’s nothing like that fan base and the way they travel and the crowds at home.

“Players around the league they talk about how special it is to play at Lambeau, and sometimes you might miss that or forget about that when you’re playing because it becomes so normal to have such an amazing crowd and they’re tailgating and they’re loud and they rarely sell their tickets to other teams fans.

“There’s a lot of great things about Wisconsin. I grew up there, really, and became a little more mature as an adult over the years there and had a great time and still have a lot of close friends there, a lot of fond memories.”

Here are five Packers who will take soaring stocks into the preseason. Among them is the player in the picture, rising defensive tackle Warren Brinson. ⬇️https://t.co/PFiEdiLipB
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) August 12, 2026

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