Draft Day Drama, Beautiful Mysteries, and Jeopardy!- Chronicling the Aaron Rodgers Trade Saga

Shockwaves went through the NFL on April 29th when hours before the draft, news broke out about Aaron Rodgers’ desire to bail out of the Green Bay Packers vessel.

The QB who won the 2020 NFL MVP award simply seems to have had enough with the franchise. The relationship between the two parties hasn’t always been this sour. In fact, Rodgers has always remained committed to helping the team achieve its goal of winning Super Bowls.

But as we enter the 2021 NFL season, the future of Aaron Rodgers remained shrouded in doubt. But how did it get to this? What was the chain of events that led to Rodgers wanting out of Green Bay?

The answer, perhaps, lies in what took place in the 1st-round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The drafting of Jordan Love 

The Packers entered the 2020 NFL Draft in desperate need of a wide receiver. The side had just made the NFC title game the earlier season and was pegged to provide Rodgers with a potentially elite young offensive weapon alongside the mercurial Davante Adams. 

But when the Packers went on the clock in the 1st-round they stunned the world by drafting QB Jordan Love. Many saw this as a slap in the face of Aaron Rodgers. 

READ MORE: Can the Aaron Rodgers Trade Saga Be Resolved With a Trade Involving QB Jordan Love?

The QB had just made the Pro Bowl in a season where he threw over 4,000 yards. And drafting Love had Déjà vu written all over it. Rodgers himself was drafted as a first-rounder by the franchise back in the 2005 NFL Draft to eventually replace Brett Favre.

An MVP season for Aaron Rodgers that ended in disappointment

While most players would budge under the pressure of their potential successor waiting on the sidelines, Rodgers embraced it and had a renaissance of his own. 

The quarterback rolled back time to put on an incredible display over the course of the regular season. With over 4,299 passing yards, 48 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions, Aaron Rodgers bagged the NFL MVP award in 2020.

His performances also helped the Green Bay Packers land the top seed in the NFC. Beating the LA Rams in the Divisional Round after a first-round bye, the Packers took on Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with home-field advantage. 

But even with familiar surroundings, Rodgers and the Packers fell short again. But this time, something felt different. Even before the game had started, Rodgers made heads turn when he declared his future to be a “beautiful mystery.”

The disappointment was piercingly visible on Rodgers’ face. For the first time, there was a feeling that Aaron Rodgers was done with Green Bay. 

An NFL career in Jeopardy?

In the ensuing offseason, Rodgers primarily made headlines for his involvements off the field. Capping off a new chapter in his life, the QB got engaged to Hollywood actress Shailene Woodley. 

The couple was then followed by paparazzi everywhere they went. The NFL had just gotten itself a new celebrity couple. After being spotted vacationing in Montreal and Mexico, another interesting chapter unraveled for Rodgers. 

In February the QB shot 5 episodes as the guest host of the game show Jeopardy!. The episodes were aired in April and drew in huge praise for Rodgers. 

The quarterback, since then, has even publicly stated his desire to join the show as full-time host. A move that could potentially put his NFL job in Jeopardy. 

While Rodgers has said the shoot can be handled in the offseason, one can’t be too sure about how the Packers organization would feel about their QB shooting episodes for a TV show instead of studying tape. And then, April 29th came around.

The future of Rodgers continues to be a beautiful mystery. His NFL career is in jeopardy. And who knows, perhaps come draft day 2022, he might not remain on the roster of the Green Bay Packers.

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