Packers QB Rodgers admits Love could change everything

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 19: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after a fumble in the first half against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFC Championship game at Levi’s Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images/AFP

LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Super Bowl-winning signal caller Aaron Rodgers admitted Friday he was surprised Green Bay made quarterback Jordan Love a first-round draft pick, a move that could thwart his own hopes of ending his NFL career in a Packers uniform.

“The general reaction at first was surprise, like many people,” Rodgers said on a conference call with reporters in his first public comments on Love’s selection.

“Not going to say I was thrilled by the pick, necessarily,” Rodgers added. “But I understand the organization is not thinking just about the present, but the future, and I respect that.”

Rodgers led the Packers to a Super Bowl victory after the 2010 season.

Last season, the two-time NFL Most Valuable Player guided Green Bay within one win of the Super Bowl for the third time in six seasons, but the Packers fell to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC title game.

“Obviously they thought that (Love) was such a great talent that they needed to go up and get him,” Rodgers said of Green Bay executives who traded up four spots to take Love 26th overall. “It’s what those guys are paid to do, to put together a roster for now and for the future as well.”

Rodgers said he was looking forward to working with Love, just as he has with other back-up quarterbacks who have come and gone during his tenure.

“He didn’t ask to get drafted by the Packers,” Rodgers said. “He’s just coming in, excited about his opportunity.”

But the 36-year-old Rodgers acknowledged that the presence of Love in Green Bay could diminish his own chances of staying with the team into his 40s.

“My sincere desire to start and finish with the same organization may not be a reality,” he said.

In the meantime, however, Rodgers is focused on leading the Packers into a season rife with uncertainty due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He’s been participating in team Zoom meetings as well as training on his own and believes his teammates, established and new, will be well-prepared when restrictions aimed at slowing the spread of the virus are eased and teams can train together normally.

“There’s probably not going to be sky-high expectations for us like last year,” he said. “At the same time, I think we’re going to be in the mix.”