Aaron Rodgers said Wednesday he intends to play for the New York Jets in 2023 after 18 seasons in Green Bay and the four-time NFL MVP quarterback is waiting for the Packers to trade him.
The 39-year-old Rodgers, speaking during an appearance on on YouTube and Sirius XM, said he believes the Packers want to move on and make 2020 first-round draft pick Jordan Love their starting quarterback.
鈥淎t this point, as I sit here, I think since Friday I鈥檝e made it clear that my intention was to play and my intention was to play for the New York Jets,鈥 Rodgers said. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 been holding anything up at this point. It鈥檚 been compensation the Packers are trying to get for me, kind of digging their heels in.鈥
Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy has acknowledged the team granted the Jets permission to talk to Rodgers, the face of the franchise since Hall of Famer Brett Favre was traded to the Jets in 2008. The Jets sent a contingent that reportedly included owner Woody Johnson, coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas to Rodgers鈥 home in Southern California last week.
Rodgers expressed his appreciation for his 18 seasons in Green Bay but added that it's time for the Packers 鈥渢o do the right thing.鈥
鈥淚 have nothing but love in my heart for every Packer fan and everybody who works in the organization,鈥 Rodgers said. 鈥淢y life is better because of my time in Green Bay. But we鈥檝e just got to look at the reality. They want to move on. They don鈥檛 want me to come back and that鈥檚 fine. They're ready to move on with Jordan. That鈥檚 awesome. Jordan's going to be a great player.鈥
The Packers had no immediate comment on Rodgers' remarks, which follow days of speculation that his time in Green Bay might be done.
Murphy spoke of Rodgers in the past tense while discussing the quarterback鈥檚 future with Green Bay TV station WBAY last week.
鈥淰ery few players play for only one team,鈥 "Obviously Brett had a great career. Aaron had a great career here. Regardless of what happens, Aaron will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He鈥檒l be in our Hall of Fame. We鈥檒l bring him back, retire his number. This is just one of the things that we go through as a team. We want to try to achieve something that鈥檚 good for both Aaron and us.鈥
that aired Friday during a broadcast of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association girls basketball championships on Green Bay TV station WCWF,
鈥淚t鈥檚 trying to find what he wants and what we want, and hopefully we can find a win-win situation," Murphy said.
Rodgers had said at the end of the 2022 season that he would need time to decide whether to return to the Packers, request a trade or retire. He said Wednesday he had discussions with Packers officials regarding his future shortly after the team wrapped up a 8-9 season that ended a string of three straight NFC North titles.
鈥淓verything that I was told in the week that I was in Green Bay was: 鈥楾ake as long as you want and we want you to retire a Packer. If you want to come back and play, obviously the door is wide open,鈥欌 Rodgers said. 鈥淭hat was the information I was going on."
As he pondered his future, Rodgers spent multiple days last month on a isolation retreat in Oregon, where he said he stayed alone in a room in total darkness.
Rodgers said he was 90% leaning toward retirement at the time of the retreat. When he was done with the retreat, he said, he noticed a difference in the Packers' approach toward his future with the franchise.
鈥淣ow when I came out of the darkness, something changed,鈥 Rodgers said. 鈥淚鈥檓 not exactly sure what that was, but something changed. ... I realized there had been a little bit of a shift. I heard from multiple people that I trust around the league 鈥 players mostly 鈥撯 that there was some shopping going on, that they were interested in actually moving me.鈥
Rodgers said that made him realize the Packers probably didn't want him back.
鈥淚t was clear to me at that point, that although the Packers were going to say the right thing publicly, that they were ready to move on,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what changed that or what moved that 鈥 if they just said, 鈥楬ey, we need to make a decision here because he hasn鈥檛 made a decision here yet.鈥 Again, there鈥檚 no victims here. I鈥檓 not sitting here as a victim."
The Jets鈥 interest in Rodgers has been apparent as they seek to end the NFL鈥檚 longest active playoff drought. They lost their final six games while going 7-10 last season and haven鈥檛 reached the postseason since 2010.
Their new offensive coordinator is Nathaniel Hackett, who earned raves from Rodgers while coordinating Green Bay鈥檚 offense from 2019-21.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of reasons why the Jets are attractive,鈥 Rodgers said Wednesday. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 one coach that has meant as much to me as any coach I鈥檝e ever had. And he happens to be the coordinator there.鈥
Saleh and Johnson both expressed their interest in adding a veteran quarterback to a roster that already features one of the league鈥檚 best defenses.
If Rodgers ends up with the Jets, it would be a case of history repeating itself.
The Packers sent a 39-year-old Favre to the Jets in 2008, a move that ushered in Rodgers鈥 arrival as Green Bay鈥檚 starting quarterback. Favre won three MVPs with Green Bay during his Hall of Fame career.
Rodgers backed up Favre for three seasons after the Packers selected him out of California with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 draft. Love has backed up Rodgers for three seasons since the Packers traded up to take the former Utah State quarterback with the 26th overall pick in 2020.
Rodgers鈥 future has been the subject of speculation ever since the Packers selected Love. Rodgers acknowledged the selection caught him by surprise. One year later, he skipped the Packers鈥 mandatory minicamp in a standoff with Packers management.
But the two sides eventually patched things up.
Rodgers signed a contract extension with the Packers last year after producing a second straight MVP season.
When he was asked last June at the Packers鈥 mandatory minicamp whether he expected to finish his career in Green Bay, Rodgers replied, 鈥淵es. Definitely.鈥
Those plans apparently changed after a 2022 season in which he had his lowest passer rating as a starter (91.1) and threw 12 interceptions, his highest total since 2008. Now Rodgers believes his time in Green Bay is done.
鈥淐oming to this reality has been really bittersweet,鈥 Rodgers said. 鈥淚 was drafted by Green Bay. I 鈥 love that city, love that organization. Always going to have love for that organization. But the facts are right now they want to move on, and now so do I.鈥
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AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak contributed to this report.
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