Featured Columnist IVDecember 16, 2024
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The Inexperienced Bay Packers shocked the NFL world on the 2020 NFL draft, deciding on quarterback Jordan Love with the No. 26 total decide somewhat than including a participant who would make a extra rapid impression for a crew that had simply gone 13-3 and reached the NFC Convention Championship Sport behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Throughout the brand new Netflix documentary, Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, the quarterback recalled his response to that call.
“I regarded down at my telephone and my agent simply texted me: ‘Quarterback.’ And I used to be like, ‘No f–king approach,’” he stated (h/t Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Put up). “Then the decide occurs, and I instantly bought off the sofa and was tremendous non-reactive. And I simply went to pour myself some tequila and went again to the sofa and knew there was going to be some attention-grabbing conversations.”
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Aaron Rodgers: Enigma premieres December 17.
Comply with the NFL quarterback’s rebound from his achilles harm, and get an inside have a look at the defining and controversial moments of his life and profession. pic.twitter.com/fAITgqj13N
Rodgers had publicly supported the concept of drafting a large receiver on the time, which maybe would have taken a 13-3 Packers crew excessive in the course of the 2020 season. As a substitute, the crew misplaced within the NFC Championship Sport for the second straight 12 months.
The Packers then went 13-4 in 2021 however misplaced within the divisional spherical and simply 9-8 in 2022, lacking the postseason altogether. Rodgers was the league’s MVP in each 2020 and 2021.
The choice to draft Love is usually seen as the start of the tip for the connection between Rodgers and the Packers, who traded him to the New York Jets forward of the 2023 season.
In hindsight, the transfer has labored out simply superb for the Packers. Love has grow to be a stable beginning quarterback, main the Packers to a 10-4 document this season and a playoff berth final season. Rodgers, in the meantime, missed virtually everything of the 2023 marketing campaign on account of an Achilles tear and has had an up-and-down season in 2024 for the dysfunctional Jets.
However there’ll all the time be questions on whether or not the Packers may have higher maximized Rodgers’ prime years, and their championship window, by approaching the 2020 draft otherwise.
