Aaron Rodgers says goodbye to Green Bay, hello to New York: "This is a surreal day for me"
MINNEAPOLIS -- Aaron Rodgers has officially bid farewell to Green Bay and greeted Gang Green.
With a long-awaited trade finally complete, Rodgers arrived at the Jets' facility in New York on Wednesday morning, per the team's Twitter account. Several hours later, Rodgers was officially introduced during a press conference.
Rodgers called it a "surreal day" and said he's in New York because he believes in the team.
"I'm excited about the new adventure here in New York," Rodgers said.
The night before, he wrote a lengthy Instagram goodbye to the team that drafted him.
"I'm not sure it's possible to fully express the gratitude that I have to the Packers, our incredible fans, the state of Wisconsin, the thousands of players that I crossed paths with, the incredible men and women who work for the organization, and the amazing people who I got to meet along the way, in one post with 10 pictures," Rodgers said, "but I hope you read this and feel my heart and soul, filled with love, joy, and peace about my time in green and gold."
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After 18 seasons with the Packers, Green Bay is trading its four-time MVP and entering the Jordan Love era. According to the Jets, the deal includes a first round pick swap this year, the Jets' second and sixth round picks this year and a conditional second round pick next year that could become a first. In addition to Rodgers, the Jets are also getting a fifth round pick this year.
The Packers tweeted a goodbye to Rodgers on Wednesday.
Jets owner Woody Johnson also tweeted about Rodgers' arrival.
The trade was made official Wednesday afternoon.
"To the fans, thank you, you made every run out of the tunnel special, every home game magical, and it was my honor to be your QB," Rodgers said. "This is not the end for us, I will see you again Green Bay, you'll always have my heart."
