Draft day did not go how Aaron Rodgers thought it would.
Rodgers was expected to be a top pick for several weeks leading into the draft, and it looked like the Cal product was going to get drafted no. 1 overall by his hometown team: the San Francisco 49ers.
Instead, Rodgers took a draft day tumble and fell all the way to 23rd overall, where he was selected by the Green Bay Packers.
Speaking to “FOX & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade on the “Brian Kilmeade Show,” Ian O’Connor spoke about this pivotal moment in Rodgers’ career, which he documented in his new biography titled “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers”
“It was humiliating. And it was on national TV, obviously. That was the first NFL Draft, that was a reality show.”
His welcome to the Packers was also less than ideal. Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre was the starter at the time, and it was no secret that he did not intend to mentor the rookie.
“I think as a starter, my job is hard enough to win ballgames and be a leader.” Favre famously said during an interview in 2015. “You’re not a babysitter.”
“Nowhere does it say that you have to take that guy under your wing and teach him the ropes. You don’t have to do anything but win ballgames. For whoever it is you’re the starting quarterback for, whether or not you take a guy under your wing really means nothing.”
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Aaron Rodgers, #8 of the New York Jets, looks on during an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders at MetLife Stadium on August 10, 2024, in East Rutherford, NJ. (Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
Rodgers was not given the starting job until his fourth season with the team, and then the 10-time Pro Bowler found himself in the same position as his predecessor.
Fresh off winning the MVP in the 2020 season, the Packers drafted quarterback Jordan Love out of Utah.
O’Connor spoke about the stark differences in the way Rodgers treated Love and the treatment he received from Favre.
“(Rodgers) treated him a lot better than he got treated by Brett Favre, that’s for sure. And I think Jordan Love really appreciated that, and Aaron understood what it felt like to be in that position.”
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Aaron Rodgers, #12, and Jordan Love, #10, of the Green Bay Packers take the field prior to a game against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on December 25, 2022, in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
“He was hellbent on not doing the same thing to Jordan.”
As for Rodgers and Favre, their relationship is in a better place now than it ever was, O’Connor said.
“As far as the relationship with (Rodgers and Favre) now is better, much better than it was when they were together as teammates because they both went through essentially being pushed out of Green Bay. And the pain of that and how that felt.”
After winning a Super Bowl with the Packers and four MVPs with Green Bay, the Packers were ready to move on from Rodgers.
Aaron Rodgers, #12 of the Green Bay Packers, shares a moment with former quarterback Brett Favre during a ceremony for the late Bart Starr at halftime of the game between the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on September 15, 2019, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Prior to last season, the Packers traded Rodgers to the New York Jets, so Jordan Love could ascend to the starting position.
Rodgers played four snaps with the Jets before tearing his Achilles in the season opener.
The Packers open the 2024 season against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil on Sept. 6, while Rodgers’ Jets will travel out west to San Fransisco to play the 49ers on Sept. 9 to begin their season.
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