The Green Bay Packers’ decision to move on from Aaron Rodgers last off-season seems to be paying off… so far. Green Bay has (hopefully) found their next franchise QB in Jordan Love, they made multiple splash signings in free agency, and added a 2024 draft class that could shore up multiple areas of weakness.
That being said, Green Bay could have moved on from Rodgers even sooner.
Former Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers Addresses Former Trade Rumor
Rodgers addressed rumors he would be traded to the 49ers in 2021 with Michaal Silver. The previous season, Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, and CJ Bethard combined for 25 touchdowns to 17 interceptions for San Francisco as they finished with a 6-10 record. Ultimately, the 49ers traded up for Trey Lance, who led them to Brock Purdy, after failing to convince the Packers to trade them Rodgers:
“I thought there was a slim, slim possibility,” he said. “I just didn’t really ever think the Packers would trade me within the conference. There seemed to be some kismet (as) in ’05, with me being from Northern California, and San Fran.
And as much as it seemed like not the front end of my career, but now the twilight of my career, going back home to my childhood team would have been some fated circumstance, it never really felt like it was gonna be a reality.”
At the time, Rodgers seemed to be in the middle of his revenge tour. The now four-time MVP quarterback just saw his team draft Jordan Love and Rodgers wanted to prove he still had a lot left in the tank.
further highlighted this scenario:
Ian O’Connor recently wrote a biography about Rodgers and dedicated an entire chapter to Rodgers’ freefall that landed him into the Packers’ laps with the 24th pick of the 2005 draft. The book didn’t include McCarthy saying that the 49ers were going to select Rodgers, but Rodgers did apparently tell O’Connor that he felt that his meeting with McCarthy, who would eventually become the Packers’ head coach, was the best of his pre-draft cycle.
In the article, Silver plugged his upcoming book, The Why Is Everything: A Story of Football, Rivalry, and Revolution, which will be out next month. The book covers the coaching tree that current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has cultivated, which includes Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.
According to Silver, LaFleur and Shanahan had a falling out over Rodgers, though, Silver now claims that the relationship has “been repaired.” I guess to hear more about that particular story, we’re going to have to wait a month.
Thankfully, Green Bay traded him out of the conference and allowed Love to develop into the quarterback we saw in 2023.
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