Aaron Rodgers reveals initial reaction to Packers drafting Jordan Love

A piece from this past September detailed how Aaron Rodgers reached out to fellow quarterback Jordan Love shortly after the Green Bay Packers made Love the 26th overall pick of the 2020 NFL Draft even though Rodgers still had plenty in the tank as Green Bay's starter at that time. 

In the "Aaron Rodgers: Enigma" Netflix documentary that will debut on Tuesday, the future Hall of Famer shared his initial reaction to Green Bay selecting Love.

"I looked down at my phone and my agent just texted me: 'Quarterback.' And I was like, 'No f------ way,'" Rodgers said about the Packers landing Love for a segment of the documentary, as shared by Ryan Glasspiegel of the New York Post. "Then the pick happens, and I immediately got off the couch and was super non-reactive. And I just went to pour myself some tequila and went back to the couch and knew there was going to be some interesting conversations."

Similar to how Rodgers, a 2005 first-round draft pick, spent the bulk of his first three pro seasons as a backup behind Hall of Famer Brett Favre, Love learned about life in the NFL as Green Bay's QB2 for most of his first three pro campaigns. It became clear even before the end of the 2022 season that Rodgers and the Packers needed a divorce, and the club traded him to the New York Jets in the spring of 2023. 

Since the completion of that transaction, Love has emerged as a starter capable of guiding the Packers to playoff victories and to a 10-4 record for the ongoing campaign. While he received a four-year, $220M deal from Green Bay this past summer, Jets owner Woody Johnson seems downright eager to move on from Rodgers as soon as possible.

Of course, one will never know what could have been for the Packers had they used the Love pick to bolster a different part of the roster. After all, Rodgers earned Most Valuable Player Award honors for the 2020 and 2021 seasons, and the Packers ultimately fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2021 NFC Championship Game. 

As much as Love has impressed over the past two seasons, failing to get the most out of the final years of Rodgers' prime could haunt those running the Packers for decades to come if they don't get their hands on the Vince Lombardi Trophy with Love atop the depth chart.