Aaron Rodgers writes lengthy goodbye to Packers after Jets trade goes through
Aaron Rodgers took the classy way out after his long-awaited trade to the New York Jets went through Monday.
The now-former Green Bay Packers quarterback posted a lengthy farewell letter to Instagram on Tuesday, thanking the Packers organization and fan base after 18 years, along with photos documenting his journey from draft pick to four-time MVP.
He ended the message by saying he will see Green Bay again and will always feel a connection to the city:
"This is not the end for us, I will see you again Green Bay, you’ll always have my heart."
Rodgers mentioned 40 different people by name in the farewell, including former general manager Ted Thompson, former head coach Mike McCarthy, current head coach Matt LaFleur and several members of the coaching staff, training staff and PR team. As Rodgers has done in the past, many are referred to by nicknames.
The 39-year-old quarterback even shouted out current Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, a man he has been rumored to have feuded with in recent years. No current or former Packers players are mentioned by name, with Rodgers instead thanking them all.
One of Rodgers' best friends on the Packers, left tackle David Bakhtiari, posted his own goodbye hours before, complete with Nickelback musical accompaniment.
Rodgers' goodbye is a nice gesture given how tenuous his time in Green Bay was in his later years and how protracted his exit became. After multiple offseasons of retirement and trade speculation (including an actual trade demand in 2021), Rodgers announced March 15 that he planned to play for the Jets next season. It took more than a month for the Packers and Jets to actually reach a deal.
The end result is Rodgers heading to New York in exchange for a swap of first-round picks, a second-round pick and a sixth-round pick in 2023, plus another second-round pick in 2024 that becomes a first-rounder if Rodgers players 65% of the Jets' offensive snaps next season. The Jets also receive a fifth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, which begins Thursday.
Rodgers joins a Jets team with enormous expectations. The franchise went 7-10 last season and looked competent at times despite ranking last in the NFL in passer rating, and it's now adding the second-most efficient quarterback in NFL history by that same metric.
Aaron Rodgers' full goodbye to Packers
Thank you. ❤️
I’m not sure it’s possible to fully express the gratitude that I have to the @packers , our incredible fans, the state of Wisconsin, the thousands of players that I crossed paths with, the incredible men and women who work for the organization, and the amazing people who I got to meet along the way, in one post with 10 pictures, but I hope you read this and feel my heart and soul, filled with love, joy, and peace about my time in green and gold. 💚💛
I grew up in Green Bay, drafted at 21, fell in love with the game, met some lifelong friends, and take with me memories that will last a lifetime.
I’m grateful to the late Ted Thompson for drafting me, for my head coaches, especially the 13 years with Mike McCarthy, and the last 4 with Matt LaFleur. I had some incredible men to work with in the QB room over the years including Tom, AVP, Luke, and Connor.
Huge thank you to my guys in the equipment room, Red, TBone, Odea, Kev, Bryan, Andy Grouber, All my dear friends in the training room over the years, Nate, Flea, Doc McKenzie, Doc Gray, Pepp, and Cuz. The legendary Adam Korzun and his incredible staff; Dougie, Crabby, and Scotty, for always looking out for me; Tom, Nate, Sarah, and Jason in PR, Evan for bringing my work life to film, The Rock and Wayne, for giving words to the highlights of my career, Grey, and Big Rob for your work with our guys over the years, Bloke, Thad, Grant and Gizz in the weight room, Bob Harlan, Russ Ball, Mark Murphy and Brian Gutekunst for your stewardship of the organization, every one on the 3rd and 4th floors who make that building run smoothly, and so many countless others at the loading dock, tours, concessions, maintenance, our field crew, etc.
To the fans, THANK YOU, you made every run out of the tunnel special, every home game magical, and it was my honor to be your QB.
To my teammates, I love you all, and am thankful for the moments on and off the field that brought us close. I played with legends, I played with friends; thanks for believing in me and having my back always ❤️
This is not the end for us, I will see you again Green Bay, you’ll always have my heart ❤️
-12
#grateful #18years #💚💛
