Two things can both be true about the Green Bay Packers selecting quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft: Aaron Rodgers can be unhappy about the choice to take his heir apparent — it made much more sense to get a piece that can help him win now — and understand that the organization might have wanted to start grooming his successor.
And that’s pretty much how Rodgers responded on Friday in a call with reporters.
“The general reaction, at first, was surprise, like many people,” he said. “Not going to say I was thrilled by the pick, necessarily. But I understand the organization is not thinking just about the present, but the future and I respect that.”
“General reaction at first was surprise. I’m not gonna say that I was thrilled by the pick.” – Aaron Rodgers on the Packers' selection of Jordan Love pic.twitter.com/QbaDEKaslM
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 15, 2020
That’s probably the best answer the Packers could hope for. Rodgers mostly gets it — he’s 36 years old, of course — but he’s not totally pleased about it. And then there’s this quote about Love:
Aaron Rodgers says many of his former backup quaterbacks are good friends.
On Jordan Love:
“He’s not to blame at all."“I’m excited to work with him. He seems like a good kid."
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) May 15, 2020
Again, two things are true — he’ll work with the rookie but he’ll also probably stick to what he said before the draft: “No matter who you bring in, they’re not going to be able to beat me out anytime soon.”
He also addressed possibly retiring someday as a Packer:
“You can only control what you can control… If there comes a time where I still feel I can play at a high level and my body feels great then there’s other guys who have gone on and played elsewhere.” – Aaron Rodgers on retiring as a Packer pic.twitter.com/ljlJLkUlj0
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 15, 2020
It’s honesty, pure and simple, and we know the thoughtful Rodgers doesn’t mince words a lot. And after a head-scratcher of a draft move, that’s a win for the Packers.
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