Why Aaron Rodgers Was Never Beloved Like Other Green Bay Packers’ Greats

In the summer of 2008, when the Green Bay Packers were in the process of moving on from Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers was about as popular as a snowstorm in June.

Fans protested at Lambeau Field, demanding Favre be reinstated as Green Bay’s starting quarterback while chanting, “Favre Forever” and “Favre For President.” They heckled Rodgers on the practice field. And they flocked to Austin Strobel Airport and passionately cheered their hero when Favre briefly returned to town, before the Packers eventually traded him to the New York Jets.

Fast forward to 2023 and Rodgers’ popularity isn’t dramatically different today than it was 15 years ago.

Green Bay put the final touches on the Rodgers’ trade Monday, sending him to the Jets and closing the book on one of the more polarizing careers in franchise history.

While Packer Nation mourned Favre’s departure, few tears were shed when the Rodgers’ trade became official. In fact there was more celebrating than sorrow.

Talk radio. Social media. Fan polls.

They’ve all had largely the same message for Rodgers in recent days: “Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

That reaction from Packer Nation may be just as remarkable as the four MVPs Rodgers captured or his performance in the 2010 postseason when he led Green Bay to a Super Bowl title.

Despite one of the more impressive résumés in NFL history, Rodgers never captured the fan base like Don Hutson, Bart Starr, Reggie White or Favre.

In fact Rodgers’ Q-Rating today isn’t much higher than it was back in the summer of 2008. And listening to many fans celebrate Monday, you’d have thought Green Bay had just dumped Jerry Tagge, not a future Hall of Famer.

Wisconsin is the bluest of blue collar states. The locals are a hearty bunch that work hard, play harder and have little time for drama.

Rodgers, on the other hand, was constant commotion, an endless array of fuss. As the years passed, and the noise from Rodgers got louder, his supporters dwindled by the day.

Oh, watching Rodgers post a 122.5 passer rating in 2011 or throw 48 touchdown passes in 2020 made for some glorious Sundays. The problem was there were six other days in the week, not to mention offseasons.

And as the 39-year-old Rodgers aged, the drama only intensified.

The passive-aggressive Rodgers took several shots at former head coach Mike McCarthy through the years. And while McCarthy lost his fastball during his final days in Green Bay, he also lost the support of Rodgers.

Ironically, McCarthy was fired on Rodgers’ 35^th birthday and Rodgers was given the label of ‘Coach Killer.’

Things seemed peachy when Rodgers won his third MVP in 2020 and led the Packers to the NFC Championship Game. Just five hours before the 2021 NFL Draft, though, word leaked that Rodgers didn’t want to ever play for Green Bay again.

Over the next three months, Pro Football Talk reported, “(Rodgers) doesn’t like anyone in the front office for a variety of reasons.” The Athletic reported that Rodgers referred to general manager Brian Gutekunst as “Jerry Krause” — the man who built and tore down the Chicago Bulls dynasty in the 1990s — in group chats with teammates.

And NFL Media reported that Rodgers was telling Green Bay’s prospective free agents “before you make any decisions, I’m probably not gonna be there.”

Rodgers eventually reported to training camp, but only after the Packers agreed to give him a say in personnel decisions, which included trading for wideout Randall Cobb that summer.

“We did some things for a player who felt he needed that to succeed,” Gutekunst said on Monday. “But I do think that there’s lessons learned throughout that that will probably apply differently.”

Rodgers won his second straight MVP — and his fourth overall — in 2021. Most expected Green Bay and Rodgers would part ways that offseason when his trade value was sky high. Instead, the Packers signed him to a three-year, $150.8 million contract extension.

What followed was a dreadful 2022 campaign in which Rodgers had arguably the worst season of his 18-year career and the Packers went just 8-9.

Rodgers skipped the offseason program, a time he could have developed some chemistry with a revamped wide receiver group. He was critical of Matt LaFleur throughout the season, at one point saying his head coach needed to “simplify the offense.”

And he took shots at his teammates, telling his pal Pat McAfee: “Guys who are making too many mistakes shouldn’t be playing, you know. Gotta start cutting some reps, and maybe guys who aren’t playing, give them a chance.”

In recent years, Rodgers went on a darkness retreat, took an ayahuasca journey and lied about being vaccinated. In addition, the majority of Rodgers’ playoff performances since Super Bowl 45 were dreadful, and the Packers believed they’d never win another Lombardi Trophy with him under center.

Holdouts. Drama. A lack of leadership. Bizarre-world offseasons.

Green Bay could live with some of that when Rodgers was winning MVPs, but not when he played like Ryan Tannehill.

“We were 8-9 last year,” Gutekunst said. “As we move forward, it was more about what we were going to do to get better and have a chance to win this thing. As you’re going through some of those things you’re talking about and you’re 13-3 or 13-4 and No. 1 seed, that whole locker room, coaching staff, scouting staff, this whole organization, we’re trying to win a Super Bowl, right? You’ll put up with a lot to try to chase that.”

But teams will put up with a lot less when that player begins to decline — and exhausts an organization in the process.

That’s why Rodgers is a New York Jet today. And that’s why the Jordan Love-era is about to begin in Green Bay.

“I know this – he’ll always be a Packer,” Gutekunst said of Rodgers. “He’ll be one of the best who have ever done it around here. I have a lot of respect how he went about it and he’ll be missed.”

On the field that’s true.

Off the field, nothing could be more inaccurate.

It’s why Rodgers exits as perhaps the least popular, Hall of Fame player in franchise history.