Being a quarterback in the NFL is no easy feat, but being one of the best is nearly impossible. Yes, Tom Brady gets a lot of the media attention (thanks to his six Super Bowl rings) and Patrick Mahomes is currently the young phenom, but we can’t forget about Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers quarterback has been in the league for 15 years and is widely regarded as one of the very best to ever play the position. He’s won one Super Bowl title, has been named the NFL MVP twice and is seemingly breaking records left and right. In fact, he’s almost certainly heading for the Hall of Fame when his career’s all said and done. But, while he’s a superstar on the field, Rodgers is a relatively private person off the field. Sure, he’s had his fair share of public relationships and breakups, but the 37-year-old like to keep the attention on his performance on the field. Even if you call yourself a football fan, here are six facts about the football star you may not know.
No Division 1 Scholarships
Though Rodgers was a great quarterback at Pleasant Valley High School, he did not receive one scholarship offer from a Division 1 school. At the time, Rodgers was just 5’10 and 165 pounds, so it’s easy to see why schools may have overlooked him.
He decided to play at Butte Community College, where he was eventually spotted by the University of California, Berkley’s head coach, Jeff Tedford. Rodgers transferred to Berkley after playing one season at Butte.
Considered Going to Law School
After receiving very little interest from college coaches in high school, Rodgers did consider quitting football in order to go to law school. He obviously didn’t go down that route, which Green Bay fans should be very thankful for.
Almost Traded
Rodgers was drafted to the Green Bay Packers in 2005, but he spent his first few seasons as the backup behind Brett Favre. When Favre announced he would be returning to Green Bay for the 2007 season, the team actually considered trading him to the Oakland Raiders in exchange for Randy Moss. However, Moss ended up being traded to the New England Patriots instead, so Rodgers stayed in Green Bay. Sorry Raiders, you snooze you lose!
Great From the Start
Though he wasn’t a starter as soon as probably would’ve liked, Rodgers made an immediate impact when he did start the 2008 season. In fact, Rodgers became the first NFL quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards in his first two seasons as a starter.
One Foot in the NBA
Back in April 2018, Rodgers was revealed to be a limited partner in the Milwaukee Bucks ownership group. At the time, he was the first active NFL player to have an ownership stake in an NBA franchise.
Jeopardy Fanatic
Rodgers is known for watching a lot of Jeopardy!, so it’s no surprise he once took part in an episode of Celebrity Jeopardy back in May 2015. He competed against astronaut Mark Kelly and Shark Tank star Kevin O’Leary and ended up winning $50,000 for the MACC Fund.