And now, a quick sports take on #12

A new type of March Madness hit this state's sports and news wires just after noon today.

Aaron Rodgers says on @PatMcAfeeShow: "Since Friday, my intention was to play and play for the NY Jets."

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2023

Rodgers also says the deal is not done. But it's a matter of getting it done by this point, as the #Jets and #Packers work it out. https://t.co/bj1zAJDX5n

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2023

No surprise on any of this, and of course Rodgers did it in typically eye-rolling fashion - using his segment on the Pat McAfee Show to make the announcement, with a nice side-order of victimization.

underrated part of that interview... Aaron Rodgers said he was 90% retired heading into the darkness retreat and implied that the fact that the #Packers wanted nothing to do with him after, inspired him to want to play again and win (elsewhere with #Jets).

— Mike Obermuller (@obermuller_nyj) March 15, 2023

So Rodgers went from 90% retired (pre-darkness) to wanting to play for the #Jets. Interesting turnound. Sounds like a guy who is motivated to prove the #Packers wrong. @PatMcAfeeShow

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 15, 2023

Rodgers was leaning toward retirement when he arrived at the darkness retreat? I don't buy that for a second, and then he claims he only found out the Packers were looking to trade him when he came out of there a couple of weeks ago? Riiiiight.

As a Packer fan, this was a long time coming, starting with the original sin of drafting Jordan Love in the first round back in 2020 - a stupid move that pissed off Rodgers and wasted a chance to immediately improve a team that was one game away from the Super Bowl. Rodgers responded with 2 great seasons in 2020 and 2021, but he also flamed out in the playoffs in both years (he was outright bad in that Niners game in 2021).

Then things got worse. One year ago today, it seemed like the Packers were going to go full out for one last chance at a title when they signed Rodgers to a 3-year, $150 million contract extension. Which made it all the more perplexing when the Pack traded All-Pro receiver Davante Adams for draft picks a few days later.

After the mixed messages that the team gave going into the 2022 season, there was definite decline for both Rodgers and the team, with the year ending with another loss at Lambeau in a win-or-go-home game.

Reminder that Aaron Rodgers’ last pass as a Packer (for now) is was an interception caught by @JKERB25 pic.twitter.com/aJ8iyDjrEW

— Barstool Illini (@BarstoolILL) March 15, 2023

This just seemed like a relationship that had run its course. It happens, both in sports and in life. I just hope the Pack get a 1st round draft pick in THIS year's draft and other usable assets in return for trading Rodgers to the Jets, and that's what I'm paying attention to in the coming days and weeks.

Likely in the next few years, the memories of Rodgers diva behavior and tech-bro-type weirdness and conspiracy theories should fade for me, and I'll remember Aaron Rodgers for on-field brilliance that I would argue even surpassed Brett Favre's career (Rodgers never had the level of INTs and meltdown games that Favre had). I hope I'll be fired up to see him enshrined in Canton some time in the early 2030s. But for now, I'm just glad this saga is winding down.