Breakups have the tendency to divide, both in and out of the relationship. That concept wholeheartedly applies to Green Bay Packers fans who have been at each other’s throats the last few weeks over the eventual departure of Aaron Rodgers.
For those who were around during the Brett Favre exit, this may seem like simply a social media fueled firestorm. But, for those of us who only faintly remember the exit of the great gunslinger of old, Aaron Rodgers leaving can hurt the proudest Packers fan.
There have been plenty of debates about the legacy of Rodgers, the future of Love and the outlook for the team in 2023. After taking some time to process, I would like to lay out a (hopefully) logical outlook for even the most passionate of Green Bay fans.
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To be honest, I couldn’t care less what “@IloveRodgers12forever” says on Twitter say about the legacy of Aaron Rodgers.
I also do not give a flying fig about how good “@JLOVESZN10” says that Jordan Love will be in 2023 and beyond.
Here’s why.
I am not a Packers fan because of Aaron Rodgers. My dad was not a Packers fan because of Brett Favre, and his dad was not a Packers fan because of Bart Starr.
We are Packers fans because my grandfather grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, and his loyalties stayed with the Packers even when he moved to California. My grandfather passed that down to my dad, and my dad passed that down to me.
But neither my grandfather’s upbringing nor Aaron Rodgers’ incredible right arm were the reason that I love watching football and rooting for the Packers.
I love it, because even to this day, I can text my dad about all of the shenanigans, good and bad, in Green Bay. I can watch a game with all of my family, and hear my mom yell “KILL” when Clay Matthews or Rashan Gary are rushing at the opposing QB.
I watch football because even though my wife and my business partner are Bears fans, it brings us together and gives us an escape every single Sunday from September to February.
Here’s my biggest thing. At the end of the day, I am a Packers fan, not an Aaron Rodgers fan. I did in fact watch Green Bay football before Rodgers was the starting QB, and I will watch Packers football long after 12 is under center.
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So here’s my advice. Cherish what we have had, and be excited for what we will have. I see way too many people who refuse to acknowledge both sides of this “issue” if you can even call it that.
Yes, Aaron Rodgers is undoubtedly one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. And yes, there is a chance that Jordan Love could absolutely continue on the legacy before him and ball out.
100%, there is middle ground between those two and that is ok. I for one, am personally done with all of the personal drama surrounding Aaron Rodgers, and I am excited to see a true young Green Bay Packers team for the first time in my life.
But being excited about the future doesn’t mean that I await the day Rodgers comes back to be inducted into the Packers HOF. And being excited definitely doesn’t mean I will look at Jordan Love with the rose colored glasses some fans watched Rodgers with for years.
So please, be excited. Be excited that Aaron Rodgers gets to play in a place he wants to. Be excited about our young core of Aaron Jones, Christian Watson, Jaire Alexander and many others. And be excited that we can all, every Sunday, sit down with our loved ones and watch the game that has captivated our hearts.
Don’t let a darkness retreat, a potential trade package, or a former NFL punter take away from why we all spend so much time talking about the amazing game that is football.
So, to 12. Have fun in New York, and I sincerely hope you do well.
And to J-Love, here are the keys to the castle, kid. Let's see what you can do.
