Those hoping for a toxic, animosity-filled environment in Pittsburgh on Sunday night might be disappointed by what they witness.
Two days after Matt LaFleur downplayed the importance of Aaron Rodgers' role in Week 8's Packers-Steelers showdown, the quarterback echoed his former coach.
"I don't have any animosity toward the organization," Rodgers said Wednesday. "Obviously, I wish that things had been better in our last year there, but I have a great relationship with a lot of people still in that organization. This is not a revenge game for me. I'm just excited to see some of those guys and be on Sunday Night Football again."
Well, that's no fun. Given their history and their turbulent final couple of years spent together -- a span in which Rodgers leveraged his uncertain future to his financial advantage at the expense of the Packers, who were ready to find his successor (Jordan Love, eventually) -- some might be surprised to hear neither side is holding a grudge entering their first meeting since Rodgers made his way out of Green Bay in 2023.
As Rodgers explained it Wednesday, he's grown as a person and realized he enjoyed his time in Wisconsin, regardless of the fashion in which he departed.
"We're always working on ourselves and trying to be better than we were the previous day, the previous months, the previous year," Rodgers said. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, maybe. I have a lot of great memories from my time there. A lot of great interactions with fans over the years. Living in Green Bay, living in Suamico, living in Hobart. Going to Chives, being out and about, seeing people at the Piggly Wiggly when I'm shopping for groceries. I grew up there. I spent 18 years there from 21 to 39, so I'm thankful for my time there.
"Obviously, would've loved to ride off into the sunset after a Super Bowl win, but that's not the way the league goes sometimes. I knew the writing was on the wall when Jordan was picked. It was a matter of time. I happened to win MVP the first two years he was with us, but I knew at some point there'd be a change and if I wanted to play it'd have to be elsewhere. So, I understand the situation."
Rodgers infamously did not embrace Love's arrival in 2020 via a first-round pick -- a selection many Packers fans thought would have been more useful to spend on a weapon for Rodgers to utilize in his final few years. But that was then, and this is now. Love is clearly Green Bay's long-term answer at quarterback, and after Rodgers' pursuit of greener grass ended in major disappointment with the Jets, he's just happy to lead a competent team that is more focused on pursuing a division title than seeking vengeance.
Oddly enough, perhaps both sides have realized their split was for the best. They'll test this conclusion in front of a national audience in the Steel City, one game shared between two teams following separate journeys that each hope end in football glory.
