The Little-Known Story Behind Aaron Rodgers’ Draft Day

2005 draft night we have our board it's up on the wall if people see me on the board you know see me showing the board here so first round grazes every team yeah you know we have at that time we had maybe 20 players above a first-round line okay so 30 didn't have 32 we had 20 people you think were the first round pick 24 was our pick 24 so two things happen that night number one everyone we wanted except one player got taken that's right we wanted to Marcus we're bad Dallas we wanted mark his Spears learned the guy on ESPN my friend [ __ ] oh yeah Cincinnati we wanted Derek Johnson Kansas City we wanted we want a pac-man Tennessee so the second thing that happened we did yeah we never issues there the second thing that happened was no one was taken the quarterback Aaron Rodgers now Gruden had told him he's gonna take him to his face Jordan takes Cadillac Williams okay Tennessee we thought they're taking him no they took pac-man Kansas City we thought no they took Derek Johnson we're coming up on this and now Gary you got a picture this I'm in the middle we got management Ted on the left with Mike I'm sorry Mike Sherman not McCarthy yeah is over here and all these offensive coaches and stuff over here we're about to sort of get up to our spot and these offensive coaches are yanking and they're like Andrew we can't do this can't take this because we don't need a bright Mars in place right we've got other needs if you're a coach and who do they want last thing you want as a coach is taking a player in the first round that will not play over years not help you this year not help you next year maybe not help you ever so they want us to dip into our second round grades and take I don't offensive line on a receiver or even the defensive coaches take he's a he's our only player up there in the first round great and II it was 50/50 that he was gonna go number one right so San Francisco takes no and he drops so now we got all the management and it's real quick cuz I like breaking up the story a little quick gut feeling do you think Aaron Rodgers has as successful a career if he goes one overall no you don't you do believe that [ __ ] like you knew you think he would be good but you do believe that something happened in that hour that ship on the show a couple hours that chip on the shoulder was a tremendous fuel for more success yeah and I think backing up Brett helped he hated it but I think it helped rather than being thrown into whatever I seen on so not insurances which is a great question which is sitting behind far for three years yeah did it help separate question right chip on shoulder yeah I think so cuz he plays them well shitty trades on that and he's good at trading on the radio I get to but bring me 200 decent I always told Aaron Braden just 200 you're 24 I mean how many players would have been one I know [ __ ] finishing up that story they say what do we always say now these GM's are now all GM's Reggie McKenzie Jake the best player in the board right uh-huh what does doesn't matter tick if the Jets do that this [ __ ] we don't need more defense Jets about listening good Russ the board so here's the story Ted Thompson says get him on the phone I thought he meant him in the agent Mike Sullivan who I've known forever I call the number hello Mike Mike's the agents name no it's Aaron it's Andrew Brown from Green Bay Packers can I took the mic and I felt so bad and then Aaron's you know Mike's like are you gonna trick him into taking me to I'm like hold on so my instructions are 15 minutes then yeah and Aaron's in this room that caters have packed up everything he's been there five hours yeah he's supposed to go one it's 23 the cameras they changed the rule after that yeah the whole time and he's getting more pissed the whole world's watching and you just slip in so I gotta keep him there 12 more minutes said keep him on the phone 12 minutes and let's see if that phone rings because you guys had decided yeah you got it somebody called you not any offer but if we got a good offer a decent offer the whole NFL would look different that phone 12 minutes you got I'm watching Aaron I'm watching Mike

talk to me on the Flyers real quick for everybody who's not a football nerd at 24 all those teams in the first round that were heavily considering him but for some reason when elsewhere they couldn't have cost him a fortune they could have used a second-round pick and some other collateral it wouldn't have been I don't know maybe second and thirty maybe two twos to choose the third to move back into the first round take who they wanted at nine pac-man Tennessee could have had it I mean they McNair I'm trying to remember that it's hard to remember but it wasn't so it wasn't like you the fourth pick where it's like you're giving up two drafts to get one guy it wasn't hard to go into 24 oh my god from the early second-round have-your-cake- and-eat-it-too and take Aaron [ __ ] Rodgers but nobody called crickets and you guys said [ __ ] it we'll just take them two minutes left on the clock ted says tell him I tell him and you're like on the phone with them bullshitting for 10 minutes yeah oh no I'm not saying a word cuz I don't want it you don't [ __ ] I don't want to hear it I'm like Mike he just got ahold you gotta stay with me here long as twelve minutes Aaron's life I'm sure and the way you say Aaron congratulations with the 24th selection in the 2005 NFL Draft the Green Bay Packers select Aaron Rodgers I immediately get a call from Favre agent immediately Favre I'm sure Mike Favre talked to the coast that buzzcut bus cook and then we have a draft party listen to this going on in Lambeau I don't know a thousand people right below us yeah boo oh my god were they booing and I'm like come on guys I'm like everyone's buzzed saying yelling his ass off he's like what the [ __ ] going on yeah why are you doing that yeah like what are you doing replacing him what I'm like just hold on and I had that conversation over three years like you know you had two parties if you were in the middle like for three years bus at Brett's side is like are you just trying to replace us no Aaron side is doing us he's never gonna play what do you train us did they ever really pushed for Trejo never not in those terms no but they alluded to it I heard the phrase he's never gonna retire many times like we're right well how'd it did it well I mean for years we asked Brett to come back in that last year we frankly didn't we didn't say don't come back but we said it's up to you yeah he didn't like the way you phrased I guess and he now he retired a big teary press conference in hindsight Mark Murphy or someone should have had the conversation which is we think you might want to come back at some point you might get that itch and we're letting you know we're turning the keys over here because when he did come back I was in that room I heard that conversation where Mike McCarthy said those three words we've moved on reset Starks they are going to bring pressure again Rodgers is going to roll says a prayer it's insane