Aaron Rodgers: Bummed, not bitter about Packers drafting Jordan Love

Rodgers on the Packers taking Love: “Was I bummed out? Yes, of course. Who wouldn’t be? … I’m not bitter about it. It kinda is what it is.” 

Aaron Rodgers poured himself a drink, prepared for a wave of calls and eventually pondered his future with the Green Bay Packers after his team traded up to draft quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 draft back in April.

Rodgers explained his state of mind after the pick – which he described as bummed but not bitter – during a recent podcast interview with Kyle Brandt.

“I get it. I really do. I don’t harbor any ill will about it. Was I bummed out? Yes, of course. Who wouldn’t be? I wanted to play my entire career in Green Bay. I love the city,” Rodgers told Brandt. “I see it completely clearly. I’m not bitter about it. It kinda is what it is.”

Rodgers said, as he was watching the first round of the draft, he was scanning through the available receivers on the board. Two he liked, LSU’s Justin Jefferson and Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk, came off the board before the Packers’ pick. A third he liked, Clemson’s Tee Higgins, was still there. When the Packers moved up to No. 26, he received a text from his marketing agent stating the team was taking a quarterback, so he poured a tequila sipper and prepared for what was next.

“I wasn’t elated by the pick, especially being one game away from the Super Bowl and feeling like we’re a couple players away, but at the same time, I understand it’s a business. I know that’s the reality,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said he was “definitely surprised” by the Packers trading up to get Love, the Utah State quarterback, and dismissed comparisons to his situation when the Packers drafted him in the first round with Brett Favre at the end of his career.

However, Rodgers understands that he probably won’t finish his career in Green Bay.

“I think that’s probably what happens,” Rodgers said. “Based on just the circumstances around everything. Just look at the facts. They traded up. They drafted him. I would say the like him, they want to play him.”

Rodgers, who turned 37 in December, is under contract through 2023 season in Green Bay.

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