At one point, Aaron Rodgers was the most beloved Green Bay Packers star. The star quarterback led the franchise to a Super Bowl win and was easily their best player throughout the 2010s. Since his departure in 2023, though, it seems like Rodgers has kind of lost some of his goodwill with his former fanbase.
With Rodgers, now playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, facing off against the Packers for the first time since he was traded away from his former team, a fan shared some insight on the QB's popularity. In an ESPN article, the fan cited Rodgers' media presence as the biggest reason why many Green Bay fans turned away from the star quarterback in the latter part of his career.
“I think a lot of people grew tired of the bulls— with the [Pat] McAfee [Show] stuff and the different podcast appearances that he made, the darkness retreat and all that stuff,” said Kyle Cousineau, a 45-year-old Green Bay resident who is a Packers season-ticket holder and shareholder. “He became so unrelatable to guys like me. Where Favre, and I also think a lot of it has to do with the eras, it was pre-social media.”
Towards the latter end of his career, Rodgers developed a reputation as a bit of a diva. His last few offseasons in Green Bay were filled with a lot of drama. Rodgers' penchant for stirring up drama on different shows while he was a free agent might have soured fans on him. He would often be on Pat McAfee's radio show on his off days, often causing drama with his unfiltered takes on the Packers and other topics.
The Packers would end up trading Rodgers to the New York Jets in the 2023 offseason. Rodgers would never quite get his footing in New York, getting injured in his first game there and struggling in the 2024 offseason. The star quarterback would find his way to Pittsburgh this offseason, where he's seemingly revitalized his form.
