Former Packers third-round pick Amari Rodgers: 'The NFL means not for long'

There were major expectations placed on wide receiver Amari Rodgers when he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2021.

Sure, he was "only" a third-round pick, but he was a slot receiver who had a nice college career at Clemson (181 receptions for 2,144 yards and 15 touchdowns) and he was the first wide receiver the Packers had drafted since 2018. Rodgers was supposed to be the second coming of Randall Cobb in Green Bay -- he even had a connection to the man. 

Instead, he caught just eight passes in two years with no touchdowns, and became a liability as a returner on special teams. The Packers cut him after just 26 games, a surprising decision given the third-round investment in him, but was a justifiable move considering his struggles.

Now with the Houston Texans, Rodgers recently told the Knoxville News-Sentinel that he learned a tough lesson in Green Bay.

“I just took it all in and just took every day for a grain of salt honestly, because the NFL means not for long ,” Rodgers said. “It can be taken from you any day. Just being able to soak it all in and just enjoy every single moment, was important to me."

Rodgers was picked up by Houston after being cut by the Packers and did make something of his second chance. He caught 12 passes in six games and snagged a touchdown. Those aren't superstar numbers, but he was infinitely more productive than he was in Green Bay.

“It’s part of the league. It happens to a lot of people. It doesn’t work out somewhere, but another opportunity opens up somewhere else," he explained. "Everything is not going to be peaches and cream. You just got to realize that just you just have to continue to grow and continue to believe in yourself and your craft and in the next opportunity just just make the best out of it.”

The NFL may mean "not for long" for players like Rodgers, but it's also interesting how sometimes a change of scenery can make all the difference for those exact same players.