Aaron Rodgers weighs in on Jordan Love in first post-NFL Draft comments to reporters

If Aaron Rodgers is worried about the Green Bay Packers drafting his heir apparent, he’s not showing it.

“I’m not going to say I was thrilled by the pick,” he told reporters in his first public comments since the 2020 NFL Draft. “But I understand that the organization is thinking not just about the present, but the future.”

Rodgers admitted to being “surprised” by the move but was quick to dismiss any perceived animosity between himself and the Packers’ new quarterback, referring to previous great relationships he’s developed with other backup quarterbacks, from Matt Flynn to Brett Hundley and beyond.

“I expect to have the same kind of relationship with Jordan,” he said, noting that Love couldn’t control where he was drafted.

However, Rodgers did concede that drafting a quarterback might result in a long-term change to his own plans. He’s repeatedly said he’d like to finish his career with the Packers, the team that drafted him in 2005 despite having a Hall of Fame quarterback already on the roster. But in Wednesday’s call, Rodgers said having Love in the building takes a bit of that process out of his control.

Rodgers, who turns 37 in December, also made it clear that if the Packers are thinking about making a change at quarterback, he wants to make it as tough of a decision as possible. Though he stopped short of declaring himself to be in the best shape of his life, Rodgers said he’s been doing what he can to take advantage of his coronavirus-induced isolation.

“This offseason has really allowed me to get a ton of work on my body and do my workouts, maybe even starting a little earlier than usual in early March,” he said. “So I really feel good about where I’m at physically.”