Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers shares surprising take on facing Packers in possible revenge game

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Oct 22, 2025 6:36 PM ET

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers' prolific tenure with the Green Bay Packers didn't end amicably.

After the Packers took QB Jordan Love with the 26th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, Rodgers' relationship with the team quickly turned hostile. When differences became irreconcilable, Green Bay shipped him to the New York Jets in April 2023, which didn't work out for the 41-year-old.

Rodgers (now with the Pittsburgh Steelers) faces Green Bay at home in Week 8 on "Sunday Night Football" on NBC. It's the first time he has faced the Packers in his 21-year career. That sets the stage for a potential revenge game for the four-time MVP, even if he says it isn't.

Rodgers reveals whether he views matchup against Packers as "revenge game"

"I don't have any animosity toward the organization," Rodgers said Wednesday, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "Obviously, I wish that things had been better in our last year there, but I have a great relationship with a lot of people still in the organization. This is not a revenge game for me. I'm just excited to see some of those guys and be on 'Sunday Night Football' again."

Aaron Rodgers says he doesn’t view Sunday against the Packers as a “revenge game.”

“There’s no animosity toward the organization. Obviously I wish things had been better in our last year there.”

Rodgers said he saw the “writing on the wall” when the org drafted Jordan Love. pic.twitter.com/yRGBfxI6qo
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 22, 2025

Rodgers then said, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," and he wishes he had won a second Super Bowl with the club. But when the franchise added Love, he knew the "writing was on the wall."

Is Rodgers telling the truth?

It's hard to believe Rodgers — known for holding grudges — doesn't want revenge against his former team. After the Steelers beat New York in Week 1, he said, "I was happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets."

Rodgers also reportedly struggled to get over former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy passing on him in the 2005 draft, contributing to their often contentious partnership. The then-San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator chose QB Alex Smith with the No. 1 pick instead of Rodgers, who slid to the Packers at pick No. 24.

"Nobody in any sport holds a grudge like Rodgers," wrote former Bleacher Report writer Tyler Dunne in April 2019. "When it comes to Rodgers, grudges do not merrily float away. They stick. They grow. They refuel."

Rodgers may not admit it, but he probably still holds some resentment toward Green Bay. That'll make him even hungrier to beat the Packers, which would help him join an exclusive club. If Rodgers wins Sunday, he'll join Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Brett Favre as the only QBs in league history to beat all 32 teams.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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