Aaron Rodgers wrapped his right arm around Randall Cobb’s neck as Cobb put his left arm around his quarterback’s waist, the two best friends walking off the field they’ve called home together for so long, this time perhaps the last.
In a hallway adjacent to the main area of the Packers’ locker room not long after, Rodgers shared a lengthy embrace with another dear friend, left tackle David Bakhtiari, before the two went their separate ways.
Rodgers, when asked on the field by Lions rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams for his jersey after the game, said he wanted to hold on to it and later explained there are “some special ones” he doesn’t like to exchange with opponents.
“It’s a night game, Lambeau, Week 18,” Rodgers said. “There’s just certain jerseys you like holding on to, like playing Chicago or big Sunday night games. It’s just a little bit different. It’s not keeping it. It’s a cool one to give somebody you really care about.”
And Rodgers, when asked what he’ll miss most if he decides to hang up his cleats sometime in the coming months, paused for 10 seconds while sipping from a water bottle at the podium before singling out six reporters that have covered him for the majority of his career and getting visibly emotional.
“I’ll miss the guys,” he said. “I’ll miss the fans.”
Then he walked off.
