There is a different air among the Green Bay Packers headquarters this offseason. After a few offseasons of rumors swirling about his future, the Aaron Rodgers era has officially come to an end in Green Bay.
The future Hall of Famer was traded to the New York Jets in a blockbuster trade. After strongly contemplating retirement and going on a darkness retreat, he emerged deciding that New York is the only place he wanted to be.
Rodgers spent 18 seasons with the Packers, leaving a lasting impact on the franchise. His departure leaves a huge void in the lineup, which 2020 first-round pick Jordan Love will be tasked with filling.
That is a similar situation that Rodgers was in when his career began. He replaced the legendary Brett Favre, who was also traded to the Jets. Love has his work cut out for him as Rodgers, just like Favre, is someone who was highly respected in the locker room.
During a recent episode of Good Morning Football on NFL Network, Packers offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins spoke about his experience and time with Rodgers. He said that Rodgers was someone that always put a smile on people’s faces and held his teammates to a high standard. (H/T Joseph Zucker of Bleacher Report)
“Just his presence in the locker room and the things that he brings to the game, the experience, all the stories that he had to tell and all that, he’s gonna be missed in our locker room, for sure,” he said.
Jenkins was a second-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State, spending four seasons in the trenches blocking for Rodgers. Replacing a legend of that status is certainly not easy, but Jenkins does have confidence that Love can get the job done.
He admits that he is excited to see what Love can do now that he has taken over as the starter. Jenkins also lauded the confidence that the Utah State product has in himself and the professionalism that he has shown since joining the franchise.
While the Packers would love to have a repeat of what Rodgers did replacing Farve, they know that is an unrealistic expectation to have. Love has to carve out his own path and Jenkins will be aiding in him achieving that as one of the anchors along the offensive line.