Rodgers admits he was surprised by Packers’ pick
Aaron Rodgers took the high road, opting not to criticize the Packers for drafting his potential future replacement, yet still spoke his mind. In his first public comments since Green Bay used a first-round pick (26th overall) on Utah State quarterback Jordan Love, Rodgers said he understands the pick, but admits it caught him off guard.
“General reaction at first was surprise,” Rodgers said on a conference call Friday. “Like many people, not going to say I was thrilled by the pick. But you understand the organization is thinking not only about the present, but the future. I respect that. I understand their focus and their mindset. They thought he was such a great talent they had to go up and get him.”
Rodgers, 36, declined to say if the pick will motivate him. His motivation is playing at a high level and helping the Packers win games. He still hopes to retire a Packer — “that obviously is something that’s very important to me,” the eighttime Pro Bowler and twotime MVP said — but admitted there could come a time he may have to go elsewhere if he doesn’t want to retire when the franchise would like him to. He still would like to play into his 40’s.
“What I can control is how I play and making that decision at some point a very hard one,” Rodgers said. “If there comes a time when I feel like I can play at a high level and my body feels great, there are other guys that have gone on and played elsewhere.”
As for Love, Rodgers said the two spoke the day after the selection and he plans to forge a strong relationship with him, like he has with all of the other backup quarterbacks he has played with during his career.
“I’ve had a great relationship over the years with those guys and expect to have the same type of relationship with Jordan,” Rodgers said. “Again, he didn’t ask to be drafted by the Packers. He’s not to blame at all. He’s just coming in, excited about this opportunity. We had a great conversation the day after the draft and I’m excited to work with him. He seems like a really good kid with a good head on his shoulders. We’ve had some good conversations.”
Rodgers said the situation is different from Brett Favre’s final years with the Packers after he was drafted, because Favre was hinting about retirement while Rodgers has expressed a desire to play for several more seasons, past the final four years left on his contract.