It was a surprise Aaron Rodgers never saw coming. High off of a 13-3 record, an NFC North win and the signal caller finishing with 4,442 yards, 25 TDs and an impressive two interceptions, 2020 was supposed to be about going back to the gridiron and getting more under his belt. There was no way that the talented QB was showing signs of slowing down despite having spent 15 years with the team many thought he would end his career with. But come Draft night, the Green Bay Packers were ready with a move leaving the room silent, and Rodgers shocked.

Playing their cards, the front office traded up. They acquired the 26th overall pick in exchange for the Nos. 30 and 136 later in the round. Back then, one move that the Packers definitely had make was bring in support for the QB in form of a WR. Instead, they brought in Jordan Love as Aaron Rodgers next of kin but someone who would not start for the Pack for the next few seasons. Certainly, it was an alarm for Rodgers but he did not have anything against Love, but the draft pick where he was blindsided. And his reaction to the news? Not exactly welcoming, as HC Matt LaFleur recently revealed.

Diving into the same on the Tuesday’s episode of The Dan Patrick Show, LaFleur began, “I think the controversy of that whole deal was that we traded up to go get Jordan. If we would have stayed there, picked him, I think it would have been less…Obviously, it still would have been a big story, but I think the fact that we went up to go get him….But I do think, obviously, it was the right decision.” This compelled the host to ask, “You [had] to place that call to Aaron…How was that?”

“Interesting,” LaFleur said, before adding with a smile, “I think he was shocked.” Hilariously, Patrick even played out the moment to give fans a first-hand look into how exactly things might have gone.

Patrick: “I’ll play Aaron and you call me okay?…(imitating a phone by bringing his fist to his ear)…Hey coach, what happened?”

LaFleur smirked and added: “I don’t think that was the words that were used.”

Patrick laughed and asked: “So ‘What the bleep just happened?’”

LaFleur nodded: “There was more of that, yeah…I will say, I mean whether that was why or what not, but he did go out and had two pretty damn good years back-to-back.”

Seems like new competition in the building did act as motivation for the veteran QB. In 2020 and 2021, Aaron Rodgers had the highest passer rating (121.5 in 2020 and 111.9 in 2021), with a career-high 48 touchdowns and 37 the next season, with a total of 9 INT across both years. He even won 81% of his games in that same timespan and earned an NFL MVP honor both years.

What’s more noteworthy is despite supposed ego and friction, Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love often shared a close relationship. They stayed together, helping each other for three seasons, before A-Rod’s exit. In fact, when Love was drafted, Rodgers made his feelings clear.

“The general reaction at first was surprise, like many people. Obviously I’m not going to say I was thrilled by the pick necessarily, but I understand,” Rodgers said. “The organization is not only thinking about the present, but about the future. I respect that. I understand their focus and their mindset. Obviously they think he’s such a great talent that they needed to go up and get him. … It’s what those guys are paid to do — to build a roster for now and for the future as well.”

The 4x NFL MVP also clarified where he stood with Jordan. Ari Meirov tweeted Aaron’s take, “He (Love) didn’t ask to be drafted by the #Packers. He’s not to blame at all. I had a good conversation with him the day after the draft and I’m excited to work with him.”

Earlier this month, Love said, “I would love to get the opportunity to play against A-Rod. Having a guy that mentored me in the league was someone I gotta be a backup behind, to be able to get the opportunity to play against him, and be on the other side of him, it would be special, it would be cool.” But the bet did work out for the Pack after all. Jordan put up one of the most dominant seasons for a QB in 2023. In his final eight games, his passer rating was 112.7 (second of 32 QBs), completion percentage was 70.3, he had leading yards with 2,150, and a TD to interception ratio of 18 to 1 (another top spot).

And when it’s all said and done, he wished that Rodgers gets his new home soon, as the 41-year-old QB’s future is hanging on a thin thread.

Is Aaron Rodgers betrayed once again?

Although Packers fans and even Matt LaFleur might not call it betrayal, drafting Jordan Love was a real shock to Aaron Rodgers. Of course, that was the decision why since that very year, he had words had started making circles of him talk to other teams until in 2023, when he finally did leave Green Bay. When the New York Jets came knocking, showing him the respect he felt he’d lost, Rodgers jumped at the chance and signed on. But after a disappointing 2024 season, things took a turn, and that same respect supposedly took a nose dive.

Rodgers was cut from the Jets. And the way it happened? Brutal. Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey didn’t even bother with a proper meeting. As per the QB’s own confession on the Pat McAfee show earlier this month, “I figured that when I flew across country on my own dime, that there was going to be a conversation. And the confusing thing to me—and the strange thing—was when I went out there, I meet with the coach, we start talking, he runs out of the room. I’m like, ‘That’s kind of strange.’

“Then he comes back with the GM and I’m like, ‘All right.’ So, we sit down in the office, and I think we’re going to have this long conversation. I’ve flown across the country and, 20 seconds in, he goes … ‘So, do you want to play football?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m interested.’ And he said, ‘We’re going in a different direction at quarterback.'”

Even his former teammate James Jones called it out. He didn’t sugarcoat a thing by saying, “I don’t care about him spending his money. My dawg got a lot of money. He could buy a Southwest ticket, (or) private jet, whatever… But to get there for the meeting and you to disrespect this man like that is crazy to me.”

Well, Rodgers didn’t mind if they wanted to move on. But making him fly all that way, just to get dismissed? That didn’t sit right. As he put it, “You could have told me this on the phone if we weren’t even going to have a conversation.” And now? He hasn’t said what’s next–whether he’s done with football or still got another run left in him!