[REPRESENTING THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA’S JOURNALISM PROGRAM]
Aaron Rodgers of yesteryear
PAIGE MARQUEZ - ENTRY 002: DUDES ACTING A FOOL
"This is not the end for us. I will see you again, Green Bay. You'll always have my heart." – Aaron Rodgers, 2023
All is fair in love, war and NFL offseason activity. At present, the The NFL Draft has happened, Lamar Jackson finally got paid and it’s also finally official that Aaron Rodgers is now a member of the New York Jets.
But in the case of Mr. Rodgers vs. Green Bay, who really left who here? Allow me to reflect and then elaborate.
Back in high school, I got into a casual, first-love kind of relationship. He was a surfer from Florida. He was nice and cool and fun (He’s still a great guy to be clear. We talk to this day. And I think I still have an old sweatshirt of his).
However, three months into this relationship, he decided to get my name tattooed on his wrist.
Lighthouse approaching
While flattered, I needed a timeout. In spite of such lofty levels of commitment from him at the three month mark, the relationship didn't last much longer. Post-breakup he got the tattoo covered with a foot-long lighthouse.
Fast forward to 2023. That situation from my past now reminds me (a bit) of what’s happened with the recent break-up of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.
In this respect, just prior to last season, Aaron Rodgers openly voiced his unhappiness about his longtime team. More specifically, in between his infamous Ayahuasca trip and various appearances on talk shows and at golf tournaments, Rodgers readily let the world know that he was walking away from the team that drafted him.
So what did the Packers then do? They went “all in” and rewarded Mr. Rodgers’ displeasure with a massive new contract (Rodgers’ first year wage under this new deal was $50.3M).
Rodgers then proceeded to have arguably the worst season of his career – mostly while being a total grump about it (just ask one of their rookie wideouts). The Packers also missed the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.
Point being: That thirsty new contract between Rodgers and Green Bay is akin to the tattoo situation with my surfer boyfriend from high school. On this note, both the Packers and my now ex-boyfriend both paid a surprising and unnecessary premium.
And when you add the endless antics of Mr. Rodgers, this entire situation becomes a classic case of dudes acting a fool.
THIS PART IS A BIT MORE JOURNALISTIC
Make no mistake, Aaron Rogers isn’t your average fool. Despite his antics, Rodgers is actually very smart. You don’t get to host Jeopardy for nothing, right?
He finished high school with a GPA of 3.6 and an SAT score above 1300. And because he wasn't as highly recruited as you would think, he elected to attend community college to continue with his football dreams.
After that lone JUCO season, he transferred to UC Berkeley where he then became a star. During his college career he had the lowest interception rate ever in the school's history. And though he was a first round draft pick, he famously waited around for his name to be called – with the 24th selection overall.
Big man (err Bear) on campus for real
At the start of his career with the Packers, he played backup to the legendary Brett Favre for three years. The feud is infamous to this day (Never quite Rogers’ outright mentor, Favre eventually left for the Jets – and in doing so – re-wrote the book on emotionally fragile quarterback posturing in the media).
Like Favre, Rodgers will be remembered as one of the most talented quarterbacks in NFL history.
Like Farve, Rogers has brought a Super Bowl trophy back to Green Bay.
And like Favre, Aaron Rogers has since redefined high-maintenance antics from a quarterback.
When Brett Favre cries
But Aaron Rogers didn’t always act this way. Alas, the eccentric life is now his calling card:
- Throwing sarcasm at Jeopardy contestants? He’s been there.
- Demanding a 50M salary while not participating in any offseason activities? Only to then sign said megadeal and report to Training Camp looking like Nic Cage from Con Air? He’s done that.
Straight outta Con Air
- Proudly broadcasting to the entire planet that your offseason activities include either Ayahuasca or multi-day darkness retreats? He’s got the T-shirt.
And I’m not even judging the man for his recreational choices (Okay, well I might judge him a little for his multi-day darkness retreat).
But now, just when we think that we have seen it all, Aaron is taking his talents to the Big Apple.
A Green Bay legend for 18 seasons, Rogers is done flirting with the idea of leaving the Packers.
Poised with a new Team and a new haircut, Aaron Rogers is interestingly following in Brett Favre’s shoes once more.
In other words, the Packers might as well be getting their tattoo artist to mock up a big lighthouse.
BACK TO THE SURFER
Without question, Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers are in a way tattooed to each other — similar to how my ex-boyfriend’s arm still has my name tattooed underneath that lighthouse.
As for the Packers, similar to the situation that my ex was in: They now must turn the page and be onto the next (recent Green Bay first rounder, Jordan Love, now awaits his undisputed shot at the starting role).
While it’s somewhat evident that Green Bay’s front office wasn’t clamoring for another season with Rogers, they are still waving goodbye to a future first ballot Hall-of-Famer.
Meanwhile, the Jets (and their long tortured fan base) are suddenly optimistic.
Similarly, my ex-boyfriend was optimistic when he decided to get my name tattooed on him only three months in.
Dudes will sometimes do the darndest things. But I digress.
IN CONCLUSION
Like Brett Favre before him, this recent Aaron Rogers saga has ushered-in a new level of fame for athletes – or at least quarterbacks. Thanks to Aaron Rogers – a new standard has been set.
In other words, for him to act this consistently dramatic – and still have a significant portion of the nation care so much about it – says a ton about our society’s insatiable appetite for football (and entertaining controversies writ large).
Ever the showman, I am also sure that Aaron Rogers understands that his time in the spotlight won’t last forever.
So why not take a page out of the celebrity tabloid playbook — and grab one last window of relevance or gossip at the very least?
Kenny Rogers once sang: “you got to know when to hold ‘em, fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.”
Only time will tell as to who made the right move – and who ends up losing their sweatshirt.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Paige Marquez is an alum of the University of Florida, lives in Hoboken and is a CKTH Ambassador