Aaron Rodgers finally got traded to the New York Jets this week, but his decision to leave the Green Bay Packers was made a long time ago. It took some time, but the teams eventually agreed on terms to confirm a trade that looked inevitable.
At 39, the four-time NFL MVP wanted to get a fresh start after years of failing to win with the franchise that drafted him. Rodgers had flirted with leaving the team for the last two years, but hadn’t made up his mind until this offseason.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst apparently tried to talk to him more than once, but it looks A-Rod never returned any of his multiple phone calls. Speaking for the first time as a Jet, Rodgers had the worst excuseto explain why he never answered Gutekunst.
Aaron Rodgers makes it clear he was done with the Packers
“People who know me, I’m fortunate to live in a beautiful house,” Rodgers said, via ProFootballTalk. “The only downside is I have very limited cell service. If you want to get ahold of me, I need to see your face. You have to FaceTime me.”
For Rodgers there was clearly nothing to talk about with the Packers’ executives anymore, butchose to make a joke out of this situation instead of saying it directly. One can understand his decision, since it feels that the team didn’t do enough to help him succeed in recent years.
Of course, they did give him what he asked in terms of money, but that’s another story. Though the ending of his chapter with the teamwas not the best, Rodgers will always be remembered as one of, if not the greatest player to don the Packers uniform.