GREEN BAY, Wis. — There’s not much more that says “Green Bay” than clearing several inches of new snow from your neighbor’s driveway just a few blocks from Lambeau Field.
Well, other than clearing snow and talking about the fate of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“You can see by my hat I’m a Broncos fan, so I’m either way,” said Chris Johnson as he finished up snowplowing Friday morning. “Rodgers has been great for the Packers. If he wants to stick around, that’s great, but if he wants to move on, I say move on. It’s all up to him and what he wants to do.”
Johnson isn’t alone in mixed feelings about Rodgers staying or leaving. Some fans want to see the “drama” end, others wouldn’t mind having him around for another season.
If Rodgers goes, it won’t change how Johnson looks at his career in Green Bay.
“It’s been fun watching Rodgers. It’s been really cool having him at Lambeau right in the backyard,” he said. “I’ll be out here snow blowing at night or a Sunday night game and I’ll hear the fireworks going off and I can just look in my living room and see that they scored an 80-yard touchdown.”
Beau Vaillancourt moved to Green Bay from Oregon last fall. He has a personal Rodgers watch of sorts going.
“I’m constantly checking stuff on my phone just to see if there're any updates,” he said while shoveling his driveway. “It would be nice for it to get done since we’re kind of in draft season. I want to know what kind of picks the Packers are e going to have. I’m kind of hoping that he agrees to get traded, whether it’s the Raiders or the Jets or whoever. Hopefully the Packers get a good deal for him.”
At least a better deal than shoveling the pile of snow the plow leaves behind.
“If he’s going to be happy going someplace else and the Packers can do good by getting some more draft picks or young players or whatever it is, I’m all for it,” Vaillancourt said.
With the Jets in the mix, Johnson sees some at least superficial similarities with Brett Favre’s departure from Titletown in 2008.
“If he goes to the Vikings after the Jets, then yeah, it’s exactly alike,” he said with a laugh.