Aaron Rodgers hopes fans will 'show a lot of gratitude' to Mike McCarthy in return to Green Bay
Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers spent 13 seasons together in Green Bay, but the pair are set to meet as foes for the first time on Sunday when Rodgers’ Packers host McCarthy’s Dallas Cowboys at Lambeau Field.
But even though McCarthy went 11-16-1 over his final two seasons before being fired in Week 14 of 2018, Rodgers wants fans to remember the positive. The quarterback won the only Super Bowl of his career under the direction of McCarthy in 2010, and the coach led them to the playoffs in nine of his 13 seasons.
That’s why, despite how McCarthy’s tenure ended, Rodgers hopes the crowd will make McCarthy feel welcome when he walks out of the tunnel and onto the turf where he spent the majority of his coaching career.
“Really positive, I think,” Rodgers said, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “I hope that the fans show a lot of gratitude and appreciation for his 13 seasons and a championship and a lot of great memories over the years. He’s got a street named for him. That’s pretty special. But I hope that the fans give him the reception he deserves.”
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Aaron Rodgers went on to acknowledge that he and McCarthy’s relationship was certainly strained when the coach was fired in 2018, but added that “time can be a great healer.” He also said that the two are “bonded for life” because of the Super Bowl win in 2010.
“When I see Mike, when I talk to Mike, there’s just always something that’s gonna keep you together because you won that thing together and you went through the adversity to overcome it to win a world championship,” Rodgers said. “That’s always gonna connect us and bond us, and with time, it’s just increased the greater gratitude that I have for him, the time we spent together, the love I have for him and the appreciation for what he meant to my career.”
Green Bay went 39-9 over the first three seasons following McCarthy’s firing, and Rodgers claimed back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021. However, this season the Packers are just 3-6 while McCarthy has the Cowboys at 6-2 coming off of a 12-5 finish and playoff appearance in 2021.
Green Bay and Dallas are set to kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday at Lambeau Field.