Even though star quarterback Aaron Rodgers still has not been traded to the New York Jets from the Green Bay Packers, as he very publically requested last month, that hasn’t stopped him from recruiting other players to join him in New York throughout the free agency process, as he did with star defensive lineman Calais Campbell.
This week, Calais Campbell revealed that Aaron Rodgers texted him during free agency to try to recruit him to the New York Jets, saying he wanted them to win a Super Bowl together, according to Ari Meirov.
“#Falcons DL Calais Campbell told @JosinaAnderson that Aaron Rodgers texted him during FA to join the #Jets so they can win a Super Bowl together,” Meirov said in a tweet on Thursday afternoon.
#Falcons DL Calais Campbell told @JosinaAnderson that Aaron Rodgers texted him during FA to join the #Jets so they can win a Super Bowl together.
"It was appealing to have him text you, but I kept getting a feeling that Atlanta was a special place … It was a tough decision."
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 20, 2023
“It was appealing to have him text you, but I kept getting a feeling that Atlanta was a special place,” Campbell said, according to Meirov. “It was a tough decision.”
News that Rodgers was recruiting Campbell to New York quickly went viral on social media with plenty of people offering their reactions. Especially considering that Rodgers has long insisted that the only reason people came to Green Bay was to play with him.
Well the good news for Packers fans seems to be that the "people only come to GB cause of Rodgers. Once he leaves that's over" talk didn't carry as much weight as maybe some people thought. Dude picked the freaking Falcons over Rodgers and the Jets. https://t.co/4zwcDpoCUO
— Pack Daddy | Packernet Podcast (@Pack_Daddy) April 20, 2023
TRANSLATION: The Falcons offered me $7.5M and that's hard to turn down at 36 years old https://t.co/muDYQWTwJv
— Zach Brunner (@FantasyFlurry) April 20, 2023
Probably chose Atlanta because he realized there's at least a sporting chance he could sign with the Jets and then a month later get a text update from Rodgers saying, "Hey buddy I just communed with the spirits and they told me my destiny is in San Francisco. Sorry. Good luck!" https://t.co/ellg8PziVy
— Chris Kouffman (@ckparrot) April 20, 2023
Remember when Aaron Rodgers said people come to Green Bay just to play with him? https://t.co/vH7JWwVQKQ
— Sephzilla (@Sephzilla) April 20, 2023
Apparently, Aaron is no longer as big of an appealing option to players around the league as he thought he was. https://t.co/NnPaCRCtwt
— Alex | Packers Mx 🏈 (@Alexdlacueva) April 20, 2023
https://t.co/4QQwLkRqWQ pic.twitter.com/5eYjVQFbBh
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) April 20, 2023
Obviously, Campbell did not sign with the Jets, instead opting to join the Atlanta Falcons.
