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Rob Demovsky
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Whenever Aaron Rodgers is done playing, and he has said he’s «pretty sure» this season with the Pittsburgh Steelers will be his last, he wants it to end ceremoniously with the Green Bay Packers.
In advance of Sunday’s game against his old team, Rodgers made it clear what his retirement will look like.
«I was there for 18 years,» Rodgers said of his time in Green Bay. «Regardless of when I hang it up, that’s the bulk of my career. I’ll retire a Packer and see what happens after that. I’ve got a lot of love for the organization [and] my time there. They asked this week is it a revenge game or whatever. What do I got to be avenging here? They made me a ton of money. I grew up there, spent some of the best years of my life there. I’ve got nothing but love for the organization.»
New York Jets in 2023. After two seasons in New York, he signed with the Steelers this past offseason. Sundays’ game is the first for Rodgers against his former team.
During a Zoom call Thursday with reporters who cover the Packers, Rodgers spoke fondly about the Packers and without mention of any bitterness toward not ending his playing career with the team that drafted him in 2005 to eventually replace Favre.
«It was such a tight-knit group for so long there,» Rodgers said. «I outlasted most of them, but it’s fun, that’s why I feel so good about my time there because damn near everything great in my life is because of my football career, and my football career starts and will end one day with Green Bay. I’ve got a lot of love for those memories and a lot of great friends that I still carry with me to this day.»
While Rodgers said it was «cool» to be able to play his old teams — both the Jets and Packers — this season, «This one would mean a lot more if it was in Lambeau, just because of the affection I have for that place and that hallowed ground of Lambeau Field and all the amazing memories that I have there over the years.»
