Aaron Rodgers greeted Green Bay. A day after the news that the Packers and the Jets agreed to send the NFL MVP four times to New York and end his nearly two-decade race with Green Bay, he went to the social media to bid farewell to the only NFL franchise he knows so far.
Rodgers released a long farewell post on his Instagram page, which featured several images of his entire term, including club development in 2005, the rise of the Trophy Lombardi after Green Bay’s Super Bowl XLV victory, and a wide range of images with some of his former teammates.
“I’m not sure that it’s possible to fully express my gratitude to our incredible fans, to the state of Wisconsin, to the thousands of players I’ve encountered, to the incredible men and women who work for the organization, and to the amazing people I’ve encountered along the way, In a place with 10 pictures, “But I hope you will read this text and know my heart and soul, filled with love, joy and peace over my time in green and gold,” Rodgers writes.”My children grew up in Green Bay, drafted at 21, fell in love with the game, met some friends for life, and took with me the memories that will last forever.”
Rodgers then thanked a number of members of his mandate, including the late Ted Thompson – who drafted it in 2005 – along with group leaders Mike McCarthy and Matt LaFleur. He then turned his attention to the fans, who noticed that “he made every race out of the tunnel special, every magic home game, and it was an honor for me to be his QB.”
“This is not the end for us,” he added. “I’ll go back to the green bay, you’ll always have my heart.”
Rodgers was officially traded to the New York Jets on Monday.
The Packers sent the veteran quarterback, their first 2023 round and the fifth 2023 round to the Jets in exchange for a first 2023, a second 2023, a sixth 2023 round and a second 2024 round.
The second round is conditional to become the first round if Rodgers plays 65% of shots this season.
The Packers and Jet team has long been expected to make an agreement for Rogers as the midfielder said in a appearance on the Pat McAfee Show in March that his goal is to play for the Gang Green team by 2023.
Rogers spent his entire 18-year career in the Blue Bay, helping the franchise dominate the North NFC and win the Super Bowl with the franchise after the 2010 regular season. He is also a 10-time All-Star, four-time All-Pro and four-time MVP during his tenure with the franchise.
Now with Jets, Rogers will try to lead the club to an AFC East title for the first time since 2002, the first time since the 2010 campaign and the first appearance at the Super Bowl since 1968.
Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas called the move “the past” for franchises when talking to the media Tuesday during his last press conference.
He added:
“Obviously, Aaron is one of the greatest midfielders ever to play this game. To have the opportunity to add a player of that magnitude, you will always look at it and how it fits into our culture, in our team. Going back to what I told you in Phoenix, It’s a real credit for (head coach) Robert (Saleh), his staff and what he can do to our players and to everyone here. A capable player like Aaron would want to come here. We’re all excited to add someone to his personality and abilities.”
Jet teams will hardly compete with Josh Allen and Buffalo Bills for Divisional title. However, they will at least be expected to achieve after the season with Rodgers under center position if they fail to win the league.