Why Aaron Rodgers Left The Green Bay Packers After 17 Years In 2022

As depicted in the Netflix docuseries Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, the Super Bowl-winning quarterback left the Green Bay Packers after playing there for nearly two decades. Aaron Rodgers: Enigma chronicles Rodgers’ experience after being sidelined with an Achilles injury for the entire 2023-24 NFL season in the highly-anticipated season-opening game against division rivals, the Buffalo Bills. The docuseries was released exclusively on Netflix on December 17, 2024.

Aaron: Rodgers Enigma depicts the QB’s transition from the Green Bay Packers, who he played 17 seasons for and led to a Super Bowl victory in 2010, to the New York Jets. Rodgers returned for the current 2024 NFL season but has found little success with his new organization, which fired their head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start to the season (they are 4-10 at the time of writing and have no path to the playoffs). Rodgers also orchestrated a reunion with former Packers’ standout Devante Adams, who was featured in Netflix’s Receiver series earlier this year.

Aaron Rodgers Was Traded To The New York Jets In 2023 After Growing Issues With The Green Bay Packers

Rodgers took the Packers’ decision to draft Love in 2020 personally

The tension between Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers began when the NFL team drafted collegiate star QB Jordan Love out of UCLA in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. As Rodgers expresses in Enigma, he took the Love news as a sign of the organization’s lack of faith in his abilities as their starting quarterback. Rodgers reveals that after his agent told him the news, he said “No f–king way” and poured himself a glass of tequila to handle the initial shock.

Drafting Love certainly sparked a fire in Rodgers, who went on to win the NFL MVP Award in 2020 and 2021, a feat that has only been accomplished by four other NFL players, including Packer legend Brett Favre. Another point of contention was Rodgers’ degrading relationship with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. According to Forbes, “A palpable tension developed as Rodgers took several veiled shots at his head coach. And with each passing season, Rodgers changed a higher percentage of McCarthy’s play calls at the line of scrimmage.”

McCarthy was ultimately let go by the Packers in 2018. Despite bringing in current head coach Matt LaFleur, who has led the Packers to a 10-4 record this season, Rodgers still opted to leave the organization in 2023. He and LaFleur had a mostly positive relationship while they were together on the Packers but only achieved an 8-9 record in Rodgers’ final season in 2022.

Aaron Rodgers’ Trade To The Jets Repeated Another Green Bay Packers Quarterback’s Career History

Both won 1 Super Bowl & 2 MVPs with the Packers

Rodgers’ trade to the Jets in 2023 mirrored what happened to Favre at the end of his 16-season run with the Packers. Favre would go on to play one season for the Jets in 2008, leading the team to a 9-8 record and finishing third in the AFC East. Favre spent his final two seasons on the Minnesota Vikings and retired in 2010, the same year Rodgers won his first and only Super Bowl. With the Jets out of the playoff picture this season, it’s unclear what direction Rodgers will head in next following the release of Enigma.