Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers reacts to a rushing touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of the NFC Championship game at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020, in Santa Clara, California.
Jordan Love will begin his pro career sitting and learning behind one of the league’s best quarterbacks of the past decade, but not everyone is convinced Aaron Rodgers has what it takes to mentor him into an NFL starting quarterback.
After the Green Bay Packers moved up in the first round to select the Utah State quarterback with the No. 26 overall pick, former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark became one of the first to react poorly the selection during a live draft show on ESPN with a quick and critical analysis of the situation Love will be entering next season with Rodgers.
“I can’t think of a more miserable mentor than Aaron Rodgers,” Clark said moments after the Packers’ pick was announced live.
Packers fans might remember Clark from when Green Bay won its last Super Bowl title, as he was often on the receiving end of Rodgers’ wrath that night. Most notably, Clark just barely allowed Rodgers to squeeze a 21-yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings in the second quarter that helped give the Packers a 21-3 lead over the Steelers.
Clark retold the story of that touchdown pass six years later on ESPN and explained how Rodgers even got a little trash-talking in, calling out his number at a timeout and holding up his fingers nearly pinched together as if to say, “This close.”
“I’ll hate him for the rest of my life,” Clark said bitterly. “I hope his thumb and his pointer finger fall off next week and he can’t throw the ball.”
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Others Were Less Against Packers’ Trade-Up for Love
Clark was hardly the only hot-take specialist on hand Thursday night to react poorly to the Packers’ trade-up for Love, but many seemed to view the move as an indictment of Rodgers rather than a vote of confidence for Love’s potential in the NFL.
WHOOPS. Somewhere in Malibu, Aaron Rodgers just choked on his Scotch. Packers just traded up to 26 to take Jordan Love, an heir apparent, just the way GB took ARodg at 24 to replace Favre. ARodg’s stats have declined last 4 yrs. He’s 36. He won’t be happy.
ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, who has previously been critical of Rodgers, was visibly surprised by the Packers’ decision to make the leap for a quarterback with more immediate needs to still address before the 2020 season, including finding a new No. 2 wide receiver.
“We said this like six weeks ago that this would be a spot that made sense, but what this tells me is that you chose the future over the present,” Orlovsky said in his assessment of the Packers’ selection of Love. “We talked about some of these teams with older quarterbacks were going to have to make the decision: Do you make the pick that helps that older quarterback play as best as he can or do you just say, ‘You know what, it’s time for us to prepare to move on.’ I did not think Green Bay was going to do it in the first round because they need receiver help.”
Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst was clear in his post-round comments Thursday night that Love has “a lot to learn” before he is ready to become an NFL starter and said he had yet to speak with Rodgers about the pick, but he didn’t envision any problems from his franchise quarterback even with the team laying the groundwork for his possible replacement.
“Aaron’s been through a lot in his career and certainly has been through a situation like this,” Gutekunst said, in reference to how Rodgers was brought in as Favre’s replacement in the 2005 NFL draft. “I think he’s a pro’s pro and he’s playing for legacy type things here, not only in Green Bay but in the National Football League — historic-type stuff. So I know he’ll be very motivated and don’t foresee this being an issue.”
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‘Miserable Mentor:’ Ex-Foe Rips Aaron Rodgers After Jordan Love Pick