Could Aaron Rodgers’ NFL Draft comment come back to haunt him again?
By John Buhler
Aaron Rodgers has had a rough time beating the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs as the Green Bay Packers star quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers will host the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night with a conference championship bid on the line.
Rodgers’ connection to the 49ers is an interesting one. He grew up in Northern California and rooted for this team. After starring in the Pac-10 at Cal, there was a chance his favorite childhood team would take him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Instead, the 49ers went with Utah quarterback Alex Smith. Rodgers plummeted to the Packers, and the rest is history.
Even though Rodgers is about to win his fourth NFL MVP, has already won a Super Bowl and will be a first-ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he has never beaten the 49ers in the postseason. Will his 2005 draft-day comments come back to haunt him once again?
Green Bay is the No. 1 seed in the NFC and the No. 6-seeded 49ers are coming off a road upset of the Dallas Cowboys on Super Wild Card Weekend.
Moments after the Green Bay Packers selected him with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Aaron Rodgers was asked how disappointed he was that he wouldn’t be a member of the San Francisco 49ers, the team he grew up rooting for: pic.twitter.com/0joayFEMt7
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 22, 2022
Will Aaron Rodgers’ draft-day comment rear its ugly head once more?
Look. If the Packers do not win on Saturday night, he and the rest of the Green Bay organization will get ripped to shreds by the media. The Packers are well-rested and playing at home at well below freezing temperatures. While the 49ers have the running game to at least challenge the Packers, anything short of hosting the 2021 NFC Championship Game is just not acceptable.
Frankly, the Packers need to represent the NFC in Super Bowl for the 2021 campaign to be deemed a success. They are the favorites to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this year. Rodgers has been a media lightning rod for so many reasons this past season. If he falls to 0-4 vs. his boyhood team in the playoffs, it might actually be worse than dropping yet another conference title bout.
All the pressure is on Rodgers and the Packers to make sure the 49ers’ season ends on Saturday.
Next. 49ers vs. Packers: 3 bold predictions, final score and winner. dark