Aaron Rodgers has been playing in the NFL since he was drafted in 2005 out of California. Rodgers has had a very interesting journey throughout his NFL career and also his life as well. There are a lot of people out there who either love him or hate him.
Aaron Rodgers has lower NFL odds this year than in the last two seasons to win the 2022 MVP Award. What are some interesting facts about Aaron Rodgers in his NFL career?
Four-Time NFL MVP
He has won the NFL MVP four times in his illustrious career. Rodgers won it in 2011 when they went 15-1 during the regular season before bowing out to the New York Giants (9-7) in the NFC Divisional Round at home. Aaron Rodgers also won it in 2014, and then he won it back-to-back years in 2020 and in 2021.
There aren’t questions as to whether or not how talented he is. There have been questions by the media and other fanbases as to whether or not he had the dedication to win more Super Bowls throughout his NFL career.
Super Bowl Champion
Aaron Rodgers has only won one Super Bowl during his career, and it was his only appearance. He won Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers and was also Super Bowl XLV MVP. They were the sixth seed that season in the NFC, and a lot of people thought this was going to be the beginning of winning multiple Super Bowl titles, and it has never happened ever since this moment.
The head coach of that Super Bowl team was Mike McCarthy. Aaron Rodgers had one of the most ridiculous playoffs that year in those four games. They defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, the Atlanta Falcons, and the Chicago Bears in that span to get to that point. NFL lines for that season during that playoff run must have been very interesting.
2005 NFL Draft
The 2005 NFL Draft is what kick-started Aaron Rodgers career. Rodgers is from Chico, California. He was born there and also went to high school in that area. The number one pick in that draft was held by the San Francisco 49ers. He was a 49ers fan growing up, and it would have meant the world to him if he was drafted by that franchise.
However, there was a very interesting turn in that NFL Draft. Alex Smith, the quarterback of the Utah Utes went number one overall to the San Francisco 49ers that year, and it kind of shocked him, honestly. Aaron Rodgers started to slide down in the 2005 NFL Draft after that, and he was taken 24th overall by the Green Bay Packers in the first round. Rodgers felt like he had a lot to prove and he has ever since. Vegas NFL odds for that draft would have been absolutely wild. People would have been betting like crazy.
College Career
Aaron Rodgers did not play at California for three years. He only played there in 2003 and in 2004. In 2002, Rodgers played at a junior college at Butte. This was the route he decided to choose for college, and it felt like it has helped him along the way with his football life and in how he also got jump-started as well.
Backed Up Brett Favre For a Few Seasons
When Aaron Rodgers arrived with the Green Bay Packers, he was not the starting quarterback right away for this franchise. When quarterbacks are drafted today, they are expected to make an immediate impact right away, and it wasn’t the case back then. It was totally different a decade ago because Aaron Rodgers sat and learned behind Brett Favre for at least three seasons before Rodgers was handed the keys to this franchise.
In 2008, Aaron Rodgers became the full-time start after backing up from 2005-2007, and Brett Favre was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. It has been written history for Aaron Rodgers ever since that moment. The best thing for him and the franchise was the way this was all handled from the start when he was drafted before coming the full-time starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. Learning and then growing isn’t bad. Look at how it turned out in the end.