You’d be upset at your best friend’s parents, too, if they moved the family out of town.
The Packers released Jordy Nelson on Tuesday, ending the wide receiver’s illustrious nine-year tenure in Green Bay. The news was especially tough to swallow for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who considered Nelson not only his favorite target but also one of his closest friends.
The QB posted a heartfelt tribute to Nelson on Instagram on Tuesday night, and while most of it was positive, you can detect the slightest undercurrent of bitterness.
“Hard to find the right words today to express what 87 means to me,” Rodgers wrote. “No teammate exemplified what it means to be a packer quite like him. From living in GB full time, his incredible contributions to the city, state, and region, to his consistent, reliable play on the field.
“Definitely a sad day and the toughest part of this business. There will never be another quite like white lightning.”
Rodgers included the hashtags #loyal and #stillcanplayball, as well.
If that’s a little too vague for you, the veteran quarterback’s Twitter activity also suggested he’s not thrilled with the Packers cutting Nelson. For one, Rodgers “liked” this tweet from NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, who’s skeptical that adding tight end Jimmy Graham gives Green Bay “Super Bowl-caliber talent” on offense.
The QB also retweeted two of his offensive linemen with strong opinions about the Packers letting Nelson walk.
Green Bay had good reason for cutting Nelson, of course: His production took a steep dive in 2017 with Rodgers sidelined for most of the season, and it’s hard to justify giving the 32-year-old a new contract when the Packers could save $10.2 million in cap space by releasing him.
But that likely won’t change the opinion of Rodgers, who doesn’t seem totally on board with the Packers’ moves this offseason.
