The scene was still surreal: Aaron Rodgers at MetLife Stadium, wearing the New York Jets emblem on his breast and
smiling.
Sure, Tom Brady changed teams, as did Peyton Manning before him. But it is still shocking. Rodgers joined New
York in a trade for six draft selections. He left the Packers, for whom he had played 18 seasons. He finished his Green
Bay career with a 147-75-1 record, 59,055 passing yards, 475 passing touchdowns, and 105 interceptions.
During his inaugural press conference with the Jets on Wednesday, Rodgers was asked how he came to leave Green
Bay and settle in New York.
Rodgers told New York reporters that the Packers handed him a clear message after the quarterback’s February
nighttime retreat, which involved sensory deprivation.
“When I came out, it was evident that it was retire or move on to a new team,” he remarked.
This offseason, both Rodgers and the Packers have complained about communication issues. Neither side thought
they had heard enough from the other. In March, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst stated that the team was
unable to reach Rodgers despite numerous tries.
“People that know me — I’m fortunate to live in a beautiful house,” he remarked. “The only drawback is that I have
extremely limited cell service, so if you want to contact me, I need to see your face. You have to FaceTime me. My
only reaction to the communication issue is that there are records on your phone about who phoned you and when —
FaceTime. And there were no specific FaceTimes in the figures I looked at.
“My point was that if there was a change that wanted to be made, why wasn’t that told to me earlier in the
offseason?”
Whoever was at fault, Green Bay and Rodgers parted ways, and the Packers and Jets reached an agreement on a
contract on Monday after weeks of negotiations.
