The great Aaron Rodgers may have to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night, but when all is said and done, even he admitted he’ll always be part of the Packers organization.
Now about two-and-a-half years removed from Green Bay, Rodgers reflected on his time there and announced he would retire as a member of the Packers when his playing career comes to a close.
Rodgers, of course, started his Hall of Fame career with the Packers after they selected him 24th overall from California-Berkeley in the 2005 NFL Draft. He played his first 18 seasons with Green Bay, winning four MVP awards and earning the MVP title of Super Bowl XLV—his lone championship to date—which came against his current team, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This Sunday night, Rodgers will face off against the Packers for the first time in his career, as the first-place Steelers (4-2) host Green Bay (4-1-1), who also lead the NFC North.
### Aaron Rodgers’ Football Career ‘Will End One Day In Green Bay’
Rodgers surely didn’t have rosy feelings about his former home when he left after the Packers effectively pushed him out by choosing quarterback Jordan Love as their starter following the 2022 NFL season. However, bygones are bygones, and Rodgers has had time to reflect on the special moments he experienced in Green Bay.
He said this is why he intends to retire with the Packers at some point in 2026, as he has stated that this, his 21st season, will be his last.
“It was such a tight-knit group for so long, and I outlasted most of them,” Rodgers said. “That’s why I feel so good about my time [in Green Bay], because damn near everything great in my life is because of my football career, and my football career start[ed] and will end one day with Green Bay.
“So we got a lot of love for all of those memories and a lot of great friends that I still carry with me to this day.”
### Aaron Rodgers Shares Memories of His Time in Green Bay
Reflecting on his experience, Rodgers shared some of his general memories, including being on the road and pulling pranks with his former teammates during training camp at St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin, while playing for then-coach Mike McCarthy.
“We were always messing around [and] having a good time,” Rodgers said. “I mean, some of the shenanigans and pranks that me and Brett Goode pulled on the rookies at St. Norbert’s.
“It got so crazy, some of the pranks that they were pulling, that Mike at one point said, ‘Hey, cut that s–t out,’ because they were doing some wild stuff.”
Rodgers also recalled the plane rides where Packers players would wake each other up with flying pillows and blankets that didn’t always hit the correct target.
“Guys were just flinging the wrapped-up blankets and rolling up the pillows [and throwing them] at people,” Rodgers said. “There were some of the media and [public relations] and community relations—they’d all be on the same plane as us, and they were catching strays on the plane sometimes.”
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