Its been a long trip down memory lane this week for Aaron Rodgers, as the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback prepares to face his former team, Green Bay Packers, on Oct. 26.
Ahead of the well-anticipated matchup, Rodgers spoke to Pittsburgh media on Oct. 22. The main questions, of course, revolved around Rodgers squaring off against the Packers for the first time in his 21-year career.
When asked how it feels playing against a team he spent 18 years with, Rodgers admitted it would feel different if the game was at Lambeau Field. Rodgers also told reporters there aren’t many current Packer players that he personally knows.
Despite his time with the Packers being in the rearview, the four-time NFL MVP still recognizes the great memories he made during his long tenure in Green Bay.
“I have a lot of great memories from my time there. A lot of great interactions with fans over the years,” he said. “Living in Green Bay … Suamico … Hobart. Going to Chives, being out and about. Seeing people at the Piggly Wiggly when I’m shopping for groceries.”
Chives Restaurant, 1749 Riverside Drive in Suamico, is known by locals as Rodgers’ favorite restaurant in the area. When Rodgers announced he intended on playing for the New York Jets on the “Pat McAfee Show” in 2023, he mentioned how he loves going to Chives and seeing his “buddy,” Logan.
Logan Higgins is the owner of Chives. The restaurant made a Facebook post about Rodgers following his comments from Oct. 22, saying that they hope to have Rodgers back in the restaurant one day.
As for the Piggly Wiggly shoutout, the two stores in the Green Bay area are in De Pere and Suamico. Rodgers did give another shoutout to Suamico and Hobart, as he had lived there for so many years.
Rodgers was traded from the Packers on April 26, 2023, to the New York Jets. After a disastrous two-year sting with the Jets, in which Rodgers suffered an Achilles tear in his first series with the Jets, Rodgers signed with the Steelers during the off-season.
“Obviously, I would have loved to ride off in the sunset after the Super Bowl win, but that’s not the way the league goes sometimes. I knew the writing was on the wall when Jordan (Love) was picked,” Rodgers said. “I happened to win MVP the first two years he was with us, but I knew at some point there would be a change, and if I wanted to play it’d probably have to be elsewhere.”
Rodgers goes into his matchup against his former team with 1,270 passing yards and 14 touchdowns this season for the Steelers. A Steelers win on Sunday would make Rodgers the fifth quarterback ever to beat all 32 teams in the NFL.
Rashad Alexander can be contacted at ralexander@gannett.com and 920-431-8214.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Aaron Rodgers shouts out Piggly Wiggly, Chives Restaurant as he prepares to face the Green Bay Packers
Reporting by Rashad Alexander, Green Bay Press-Gazette / Green Bay Press-Gazette
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
