As his ex Shailene Woodley once made abundantly clear, Aaron Rodgers is a big man with big feet (among other things), so it only tracks that he’d have even bigger feelings to match.
Days after reports surfaced that the Green Bay Packers quarterback and “Big Little Lies” star had split nearly a year after their engagement, Rodgers took to Instagram on Monday to share his thoughts about Woodley in an earnest-and-then-some post.
“Here’s some... #MondayNightGratitude for some of the incredibly special people in my life, with some pictures from the last beautiful year,” Rodgers wrote alongside a Pinterest-style Rumi quote and a handful of images, including one of him cuddling up with Woodley on a couch.
The NFL star thanked his now-ex for “letting me chase after you the first couple months after we met, and finally letting me catch up to you and be a part of your life.”
Before announcing their surprise engagement in February 2021, the two apparently dated for months and lived together in secret during the pandemic. After Rodgers broke the news of their now-presumably canceled wedding plans, Woodley confirmed they’d been “engaged for a while.”
“Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you,” he continued in Monday’s post.
If the gushing Instagram message didn’t make it clear, the split is “amicable” after it became clear that their arrangement “just wasn’t working,” per a People source.
“They’re very different people with busy careers and there were obstacles that they couldn’t surmount,” the source added. “They will remain friendly; there’s no bad blood and no drama. It just didn’t work out for them.”
In his Monday post, Rodgers also showed love to his “past and current” teammates, including special shoutouts to Randall Cobb and David Bakhtiari, sparking speculation about his future with the Green Bay Packers after 17 seasons.
“You are the icing on the beautiful cake we call our job; football,” he added. “The friendships that we have will transcend our collective time in this game and I am so thankful for the role that each of you have played in making my life that much better. I love you guys, and cherish the memories we’ve made.”
Rodgers, of course, had a rocky past season. He tested positive for COVID-19 in November, after claiming he had been “immunized” against the virus. He later confirmed he had not gotten the COVID-19 vaccine and went on to publicly blast the “fake White House” in an anti-vaccine rant aimed at the Biden administration.
Woodley came to his defense after reports claimed that Rodgers had broken his COVID-19 quarantine, criticizing the media for “grasping at straws” in their attempt to “disparage” her fiancé.
While the two never aired out their political differences ― Woodley has a long-standing track record of supporting progressive causes ― sources said they chose to “agree to disagree about things and not debate them.”