Packers 'Look Forward' to Retiring Aaron Rodgers' No. 12 Jersey, Mark Murphy Says

Aaron Rodgers will forever be Green Bay Packers royalty, even after the team traded him to the New York Jets.

"We wish Aaron well in New York and look forward to welcoming him back to Green Bay to retire his No. 12, celebrate his induction into the Packers Hall of Fame and unveil his name on the Lambeau Field façade," Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said in the team's announcement about the trade.

That Rodgers will have his number retired comes as no surprise.

Green Bay selected him with the No. 24 overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft and made him the full-time starting quarterback in 2008 after it traded Brett Favre to the Jets as well. The future Hall of Famer wasted no time making an impression as a Pro Bowler in his second season as starter and Super Bowl champion in his third.

Rodgers finished his time with the Packers with a resume that included that Lombardi Trophy, four NFL MVPs, a Super Bowl MVP, 10 Pro Bowl nods and four First-Team All-Pro selections.

He went 147-75-1 as a starter, led the league in touchdown passes twice, threw for more than 4,000 yards 10 times and led the team to the playoffs 11 times. There are few quarterbacks who have ever been better in NFL history, and he provided stability to the position for the franchise after the departure of Favre.

That's not to say it was always smooth sailing.

There was no shortage of speculation about whether he would remain with the Packers for multiple offseasons. That sometimes made it seem like the franchise was stuck in the middle of two different eras without an opportunity to see if Jordan Love was the answer at the position for whenever Rodgers retired or went elsewhere.

Green Bay finally traded him this offseason in a deal that landed it the No. 13 pick, a second-rounder and a sixth-rounder in this year's draft, plus a conditional second-rounder that can turn into a first in next year's draft. New York received Rodgers plus the No. 15 pick and a fifth-rounder in this year's draft.

They have now gone their separate ways, and the Packers may have to rebuild some while Rodgers chases another Lombardi Trophy in New York.

But there will be a time when they get back together and reminisce on all he accomplished.