Not everyone is a fan of Aaron Rodgers joining the New York Jets this offseason. One legendary packer isn’t particularly fond of this move.
It took a disappointing season finale, one dark dip, several appearances on The Pat McAfee Show, and a lot of waiting, but Aaron Rodgers has finally made up his mind. He’s going to the New York Jets.
The Green Bay Packers legend would coincidentally follow in the footsteps of Brett Favre, who also joined the Jets late in his career; What Rodgers sees as a refreshing opportunity to compete for the Super Bowl, others see as a devastating end to his original Packers legacy.
Leroy Butler, who played safety with the Packers throughout his 12-year NFL career, teased Rodgers’ impending trade on Twitter and believes Rodgers is making the wrong move. The Hall-of-Famer told the future Hall-of-Famer that he took three pay cuts to stay with the Packers and “didn’t have to leave to realize how good I was at Green Bay.”
Cause, I took 3 pay cuts to stay with packers is THE FANS! , they did everything to make this work, I didn’t have to leave to realize, how good it was in Greenbay, yeah, NY is a bigger market, but at least I can find parking in wi 😂
– Leroy Butler (@ leap36) March 16, 2023
Aaron Rodgers’ move to New York was heavily criticized by Packers legend Leroy Butler
Aside from the outrageous formatting and use of punctuation, Butler pretty much falls on deaf ears. Rodgers probably doesn’t care what the Packers legend says about the trade and will go to New York because it’s the best thing to do at this point in his career.
In his surprise announcement on McAfee’s show earlier this week, Rodgers complimented the Packers organization and fans for all the support they’ve given him in the past two decades. Rodgers says over and over that he will always be grateful to the Packers and considers the franchise his home, but linguists will note that he has spoken constantly about his life in Green Bay in the past tense.
From Rodgers’ perspective, Green Bay moved on from him during Dark Retreat, and now he’s trying to do the same.
For all the talk about Rodgers’ enduring legacy, yes, it might have been nice for Butler and the Cheese Heads to see Rodgers retire as a Packer and only a Packer – and that in and of itself says something about the player’s loyalty and love of the franchise.
But look at it this way: Did Tom Brady’s legacy taint GOAT because he left the Patriots for the Bucs? never. He’s just proven that he can achieve greatness in a new team, with a new coach, and under different circumstances.
Like Brady and the Pats, Rodgers’ time with the Packers is over. He’s given his blood, sweat, tears, and heart to the only franchise he’s ever known, and with Jordan Love set to take the reins in 2023, Rodgers is fully allowed to end his career on his own terms. Fuck what the legends say.
