Aaron Rodgers has made it clear for the world to know: He wants to play for the New York Jets.
Retirement doesn’t appear to be an option anymore, with Rodgers saying on The Pat McAfee Show, with nearly 500,000 people watching live online Tuesday, that the Green Bay Packers are the only thing standing between a trade to the Jets being completed.
“At this point, as I sit here, I think since Friday, I made it clear my intention was to play and my intention was to play for the New York Jets. I haven’t been holding anything up at this point. It’s been compensation that the Packers are trying to get for me, and kind of digging their heels in,” said Rodgers.
Rodgers said that after the regular season ending the Packers told him to “take as long as you want” and that they want him to retire as a Packer. But something changed while he was on his darkness retreat late last month.
“When I came out of the darkness, something changed,” Rodgers said. “I got back to my phone after five days off of it … and when I got back to that little shack they have, where there’s one bar of WiFi … I realized that there had been a little bit of a shift.”
He said he’s not upset at all. No malice toward the Packers.
“It was clear to me at that point, that although the Packers are going to say the right thing publicly that they were ready to move on,” he said. “I don’t know what changed that or moved that. There’s no victims here. I’m not sitting here as a victim. I love Green Bay. I love the fanbase, they’re incredible. I live for playing for them.”
Rodgers said it’s time for the Packers to “do right” by him, calling himself one of the best players, if not the best, in Green Bay football history.
“They want to move on. And now so do I,” Rodgers said.
The #Packers and #Jets continue to negotiate on an Aaron Rodgers trade but have not yet agreed to trade terms, per sources.
Green Bay isn’t looking for multiple first-round picks like other QBs (Russell Wilson, Matthew Stafford) have commanded in recent years. Talks ongoing. pic.twitter.com/W1SZlx0UZA
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 15, 2023
