Packers president: We'll retire Rodgers' No. 12 'at the appropriate time'
Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy praised Aaron Rodgers on Tuesday and said it's just a matter of time until the team retires the four-time NFL MVP's No. 12 jersey number.
"He was one of the greatest players in the history of the Packers, and we want to thank him for all he did during his remarkable 18-year career," Murphy said, according to The Athletic's Matt Schneidman. "He will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and we will bring him back and retire his number at the appropriate time."
The Packers traded Rodgers to the New York Jets this offseason, ending the quarterback's decorated 18-season stint at Lambeau Field. Rodgers cited a lack of communication between him and members of Green Bay's front office as one of the reasons he wanted a trade. The 39-year-old, who will wear No. 8 in New York, led Green Bay to one Super Bowl title and holds the franchise record for most career touchdown passes (475).
The Packers have retired six numbers, with Brett Favre's No. 4 being the most recent in 2015. Favre played in Green Bay from 1992-2007.
With the Rodgers era in the rearview mirror, Murphy said he's optimistic that quarterback Jordan Love is ready to lead the Packers moving forward.
"We think it was the right time to move on," Murphy said. "We do think Jordan Love is ready. Similar to Aaron, who sat three years behind a Hall of Fame quarterback and learned a lot."
"I'm comparing it a little bit to Aaron's first year as a starter. Yeah, I'd say at least half a season to know (what Love can do). And I think even though we ended up with a losing record that year, we saw enough of Aaron to know that we had something special," the 68-year-old added, according to ESPN's Rob Demovsky.
However, Murphy expects bigger changes on offense.
"I think offensively, you're going to see probably a little bit more of Matt (LaFleur's) true offense," Murphy said. "Obviously, when you have a great quarterback like Aaron and somebody who's been in the league as long as he has, we gave him the flexibility to change plays and get in and out of things that really helped, but I would anticipate a strong running game and play-action off of that."