After an eventful 2021 off-season, Aaron Rodgers may have had an even more eventful regular season. With the rumors of retirement swirling, here is a look back on his career that included many run-ins with the Raiders.
Everyone knows the name Aaron Rodgers by now. One of the most recognizable athletes in the world, he is no doubt a Hall of Famer. In his fourteen years as the Packers starting quarterback, he has been selected to the Pro Bowl ten times, named a First-Team All-Pro four times, been named league MVP four times, and won a Super Bowl, where he was also the MVP.
While none of this is particularly tied to the Raiders, much of it could have been done with them.
It all starts with the NFL Draft. The story has been told many times but for those who don’t remember: After believing he had a chance to be the number one overall pick, Rodgers waited in the green room for hours. Finally, he was selected by Green Bay with the 24th overall pick.
However, what team had selected just before that at 23? You guessed it, the Oakland Raiders. They selected cornerback Fabian Washington from the University of Nebraska. Washington, who played three seasons for the Raiders and recorded five interceptions, had a fairly non-descript NFL career. He was out of the league in 2010.
After a 2004 season where the Raiders started Kerry Collins for fourteen games, they could have used a young passer like Rodgers. To make matters worse, they had a front-row seat to all of his college games at the University of California. Of course, Oakland would select Jamarcus Russell number one overall two years later, proof that this draft blunder would haunt them for years.