Aaron Rodgers kept the receipts — or the call logs, for that matter.
When speaking to the media Wednesday in his first press conference as a member of the Jets, the quarterback was asked about communication allegations lobbied by Packers brass in the offseason, which included allegations of ghosting on Rodgers’ part, before Monday’s blockbuster trade.
“I don’t know if I really need to get into the specifics. I will say, people that know me, I’m fortunate to live in a beautiful house, the only downside is I have very limited cell service, so if you want to get a hold of me, I have to see your face, you have to FaceTime me,” Rodgers said.
“The only response to the communication thing is, there’s records in your phone about who called you, when, FaceTime, and there wasn’t any specific FaceTimes for many of those numbers that I was looking at.”
Rodgers, 39, spent the past 18 years of his career in Green Bay before being acquired by New York on Monday in a franchise-altering move for the Jets.
Rodgers expressed his intentions to play for the Jets in March on “The Pat McAfee Show,” where he also wished there had been more transparency from Packers brass early on.
“I wish that in the beginning of the offseason that had been the conversation, because I love direct communication,” said Rodgers, who alleged “there had been a little bit of a shift” during his time in a darkness retreat.
“If they had just said, ‘Listen, we think it’s time to move in a different direction. We love you. You’re going to be a Packer Hall of Famer. You’re going to go into the Hall as a Packer. We’re going to retire your number; whatever it might be, but it’s time to move on,’ I would’ve said, ‘Man, thank you so much. Just for telling me that. I really, really appreciate that. That means the world to me that you would tell me that.’”
On Monday, after months of speculation and rumors, the Jets and Packers came to an agreement on a trade that brings four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers to New York.
The trade immediately upgrades the Jets from rising team to playoff contender with the hopes that Rodgers will help break one of the longest active postseason droughts in sports.
The Jets receive: Aaron Rodgers, No. 15 pick (2023) and No. 170 pick (2023).
The Packers receive: No. 13 pick (2023), No. 42 pick (2023), No. 207 pick (2023) and a conditional second-round 2024 draft pick that conveys to a first-rounder if Rodgers plays 65% of the Jets’ plays in 2023.
The trade still needs to be finalized — the terms of Rodgers’ contract need to be worked out — and sent to the NFL.
Both teams will begin feeling this deal as early as Thursday at the 2023 NFL Draft.
For the Packers, it’s now about getting fourth-year QB Jordan Love ready to take over. With Gang Green, it’s about getting a whole host of new faces on the same page offensively.
Read more of The Post’s Aaron Rodgers coverage
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst offered a different take on events, claiming multiple attempts to connect with Rodgers about the future went unanswered.
“I was really looking forward to the conversations with Aaron to see how he fit into that,” Gutekunst said in March at the NFL owners’ meetings, according to ESPN.
“Those never transpired. So there came a time where we had to make some decisions, so we went through his representatives to try to talk to him [about] where were we going with our team. At that point, they informed us that he would like to be traded to the Jets.”
Rodgers added Wednesday that he’s excited to get to work at his new home — even taking note that the franchise’s lone Super Bowl trophy is “looking a little lonely.
The Jets have not made the postseason since 2010.
Now, Rodgers is tasked to help lead the team back to the promised land.
