Aaron Rodgers disappointed with Lions clinching NFC North crown after ex-Packers QB's decade-long dominance
Aaron Rodgers has played against the Lions every year in the NFC North as the Packers starting quarterback for more than a decade. In his first year away from his old division, Detroit has become the champions of the North. That is quite a turnaround as the Packers were always the presumptive favorite to win the division during Aaron Rodgers' time in Green Bay.
Now, the Packers are hustling it out with Jordan Love as their starter and trying to clinch a Wildcard spot. The Lions have done something they had done for 30 years, having last been divisional champs in 1993. At that time, the NFC North did not even exist.
All of that has not sat well with Aaron Rodgers, even though he has left Green Bay and moved to New York to play for the Jets. Explaining his thinking on the "Pat McAfee Show", he professed his loyalty to the Packers, saying:
"Although I'm in New York, I definitely still want the Green and Gold to take the North every year."
However, even he had to grudgingly admit that Detroit are doing something special. Not only have they won the NFC North, they are still in with a fight for the overall number one seed in the conference. He singled out quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and their running back for special praise.
Aaron Rodgers said:
"But [the Lions] got a good football team. Jared [Goff's] had a really nice season, obviously [Amon-Ra] St. Brown is a fantastic receiver… Jahmyr [Gibb's] had a really nice year, and always been a fan of Montgomery, the way he runs the ball, his toughness."
Despite rough divorce with the Packers, Lions still remain Aaron Rodgers' ultimate dream-snatcher
To see Aaron Rodgers say such nice things about the Packers might be disconcerting to some. His departure from Green Bay did not look to have happened on the best of terms. He had been pouting ever since they drafted Jordan Love over getting him better offensive weapons three years earlier.
But despite that, it was the Lions that sent him on his final farewell from Green Bay. Last season, the Packers were in with a shout to make the playoffs. All they needed was a home win over Detroit to make it to the postseason and they lost 20-16. The Seattle Seahawks squeaked through instead.
It took away the future Hall-of-Famer's chance to finish his Packers career on a high and effectively changed the narrative around his departure. It is no wonder that he does not like them winning the division.