Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Rodgers is handling it professionally after reacting to it humanly.
The star Packers quarterback will not be throwing to a prized first-round receiver or have the extra split second of protection behind a towering first-round lineman. Instead, Green Bay’s first-rounder was devoted to his potential heir. Perhaps hope for the Packers’ future, but no help for Rodgers’ present.
The 36-year-old Rodgers watched his franchise choose what it hopes will be its next face in Utah State’s Jordan Love. For the first time Friday, Rodgers reacted publicly.
“I’m not going to say that I was, you know, thrilled by the pick necessarily,” Rodgers told reporters on a conference call, via the Packers’ website. “But I understand. The organization is thinking not only about the present, but about the future, and I respect that.”
Rodgers, regarded by some as the most talented quarterback ever but the owner of just one Super Bowl ring, has never been surrounded by exceeding talent around him. After taking Brett Favre’s replacement in 2005, the Packers did not use a first-round pick on a skill-position player until April — when Love was the call.
As long as Rodgers is under center, the Packers will be a threat for the 49ers to contend with. He has four years left on a pact that looks like it could expire before its expiration date. Rodgers has said he wants to play into his 40s, but whether he will always be a Packer is now in doubt.
“That is truly something that’s out of my control,” Rodgers said about possibly playing for another team. “What I can control is how I play and making that decision at some point a very hard one.
“My sincere desire to start and finish with the same organization, just as it has with many other players over the years, may not be a reality at this point.”