When the Packers took Aaron Rodgers out of Cal with the 24th pick in the 2005 draft, it was as much a case of talent dropping lower than it should have, and the front office taking who was truly the best player available at that time. Obviously, Brett Favre was the man at quarterback in Green Bay at that time, and Rodgers attempted just 59 total passes in his first three seasons. There wasn’t a clear succession plan at that time — Rodgers needed some work before he was to become perhaps the most physically gifted quarterback of his era — but when it did happen in 2018, it wasn’t exactly rushed.
Now, at age 36, Rodgers faces the other side of that equation. His only NFL team moved up in the 2020 draft to take Utah State quarterback Jordan Love with the 26th overall pick, which makes for a more interesting progression.
As he said on a conference call with local media on Friday afternoon, Rodgers did not see it coming.
“I was watching the draft feed with A.J. Hawk and Pat McAfee, and my first reaction was surprise,” he said. “I wasn’t thrilled by the pick. obviously, but the organization is thinking about the present and the future, obviously. He is such a talent that they wanted to move up and get him.
Rodgers and Favre had a famously distant relationship, which is understandable from both sides. As to his relationship with Love, and his own willingness to help the rookie as his career goes along.
“It’s the same I’ve done with all my backup quarterbacks — we’ve developed close relationships over the years,” Rodgers said, citing everyone from Matt Flynn to Scott Tolzien. “He didn’t ask to get drafted by the Packers. He’s not to blame at all.”
Rodgers spoke with Love soon after he was drafted, and it sounds as if there’s any bad feelings about this selection, it would be more directed at the organization. Rodgers has just one year in head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense after spending his entire career as a starter before that under Mike McCarthy, the team went 13-3, and Rodgers had one of his more efficient seasons. It’s also true that Rodgers has never had a direct competitor to his starting title, and at least from a draft value standpoint, Love appears to be the most direct challenger over time.
“You can only control what you can control,” Rodgers concluded. “It’s a mantra for any great athlete. It’s something that’s out of my control. What I can control is how I play, and to make that decision a hard one.”
Rodgers didn’t discount the idea of playing somewhere else before he retired, and it’s hard to imagine that the Love pick didn’t add to whatever ambivalence he had before.
And it’s not like Love is automatically ready for prime time — in his final collegiate season, he completed just 60.9% of his passes for 7.2 yards per attempt, 20 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions. As much as he’s able to make throws at times that cause you to shake your head in amazement, he’s just as capable — perhaps more capable — of making throws that cause you to shake your head in reflection of slightly more negative emotions. If he’s going to challenge Rodgers, as was true when Rodgers was a rookie, Love will have to throw his entire determinism into his professional development.
Rodgers has done all he can through the coronavirus pandemic, throwing to receivers in the Los Angeles area, maintaining his conditioning, and hoping there’s a season at all.
“Sports has always been something that’s brought people together. I’m very hopeful that we can have a season. I hope we can use some common sense moving forward, and I hope sports is a part of that.”
But as far as Love providing motivation beyond what Rodgers would need, that’s not a concern.
“I’ve never really needed a ton of external motivation. The main motivation is to have consistent play as you get on in years. As [former Packers head coach] Mike [McCarthy] used to say, the most important thing for a quarterback is his legs. This off-season has allowed me to put in a ton of work on my body, and I feel really good about where I am physically. The goal to play into my forties, and it’s about giving myself the opportunity to [do that].”
Joe Montana moved from San Francisco to Kansas City. Tom Brady moved from Foxboro to Tampa. Favre, of course, moved from Green Bay to the Jets to Minnesota. Now, it’s Aaron Rodgers who, while he doesn’t yet need to believe that his team is pushing him out the door, has a clear sense that a door exists where it didn’t before.