30 Things You Must Know About Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history with his individual statistics to back it up. Drafted in 2005, he skipped his last year in college to play in the NFL. He finally made starting quarterback in 2008 when the Green Bay Packers chose not to re-sign Brett Favre who was the starting quarterback of every Packers game since 1992. This is when Rodgers started to truly shine and show the world what he can do as an all-around elite athlete.

Born to Darla Leigh and Ed Rodgers in Chico, California, Aaron Rodgers is the second of three sons. He has always been sports-oriented, playing baseball as a child and starred in numerous little leagues. It was in high school when his talent as a quarterback was recognized. Coming from a small town like Chico did not do well with his college prospects and he failed to get a Division 1 scholarship.

He enrolled in Butte College where he was a quarterback and eventually caught the eye of scouts from the University of Berkeley, California where he enrolled and played as the starting quarterback for the next season. However, during draft night, he was picked by Green Bay Packers as the 24th prospect even though he's one of college football’s top prospects. He got his break in 2008 when he succeeded Favre as quarterback. However, his most notable achievement is leading the Green Bay Packers to victory in Super Bowl XLV on February 6, 2011, earning MVP honors. In December 2014, he ranked first in NFL history for career touchdown passes, yards and passer rating. This is in comparison to all other quarterbacks at that point in their careers.

Want to know more about Aaron Rodgers? Here are 30 facts you should know about him.

Career

1. Aaron Rodgers has led the NFL 5 times in touchdown-to-interception ratio

This happened in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2020.

2. He was third on the NFL's all-time, regular-season career passer rating list

Rodgers is known to have a regular-season career passer rating of over 100. He made history as the first to ever have a career rating over 100 while also having the highest passer rating.

3. He has scored 429 passing touchdowns in his pro career

Mike McCarthy the current Green Bay Packers head coach, was part of the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff during the time they passed on Rodgers in favor of Alex Smith in the 2005 NFL draft. When you compare their individual statistics, Smith only had 214 touchdowns in his pro career until he retired this year.

4. He has one of the greatest touchdown-to-interception ratios of all time

Rodgers has an impressive touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4.63-to-1. This means there are 4.63 touchdowns for every single interception. Joe Montana, one of Rodgers’ football idols has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 1.96.

5. He is a 3-time MVP winner

He is already among the ranks of Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Joe Montana and Peyton Manning as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history. He may have only one ring but has won Most Valuable Player thrice in various seasons which says a lot about his accomplishments.

6. He was the 24th pick during the 2005 NFL draft

While it may seem hard to believe, but 23 teams passed on Aaron Rodgers, he said in an interview, “Far too much weight is put into your height, 40-time and bench press…but the things you can’t measure -- your character, toughness, leadership -- not as much weight is put into that.”

7. He is considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time

Rodgers may have won “just’’ one Super Bowl, but according to Jim Souhan, sports columnist of the Star Tribune, Rodgers ranks first in NFL history in passer rating. Tom Brady, who has more wins, only comes in third. “Consider that Rodgers is a far superior runner and scrambler and hasn’t received the benefit of playing for Bill Belichick, Brady’s seeming advantages fade.”

8. He finds NFL drills too easy for him

According to his trainer, Angelo Poli, Rodgers is obsessed with new challenges. He considers “typical NFL drills” too easy for him so his trainer is responsible for crafting custom exercises for Rodgers. This means he needs to get creative. To enhance Rodgers’ footwork, which is an essential skill in football, Poli is said to tape potato chips to the back of his heels. This forces him to remain on his toes during the drills.

9. He wants to play well into his 40s

In an interview with Peter King in MMQB, Rodgers revealed that he has plans to play "for another 7, 8, 9, 10 years.” He said that he is changing his diet and incorporating yoga in his workouts. “I think I did a really good job of pairing my workouts with better eating habits [this offseason]. Now I’ve put together a year where I’ve sustained positive eating habits and I really noticed a difference in my performance,” Rodgers told King. “I did a lot of stretching and yoga this offseason, which I have always felt has helped me to sustain my legs and my athleticism and just taking off in practice on some scrambles… Stretching, for me, is amazing. Flexibility can add years to your life and in our life, football, it adds years to your career. The way I want to play even when I am 40-plus, I want to be moving around and making plays outside the pocket like I still am, so I have to keep up with the yoga.”

He even went as far as changing his diet to cut out dairy and include plant-based options. It shows how much he prioritizes nutrition and health because he takes his career seriously.

Outside Football

10. Rodgers has a minority ownership stake in the Milwaukee Bucks

Rodgers also takes an interest in basketball. So much so, that he has a small stake in the Milwaukee Bucks, who won the 2021 NBA Finals.

11. Rodgers has multiple homes in beautiful locations

Rodgers currently resides in Suamico, Wisconsin, a northern suburb of Green Bay that is roughly 10 miles from Lambeau Field. He also owns a home in the affluent beach community of Del Mar, California, which is 20 miles north of downtown San Diego. But he prefers to live in his Malibu mansion which was purchased in 2019.

Personal Life

12. Aaron Charles Rodgers was born on December 2, 1983

He is the son of Darla Leigh and Texas-born chiropractor Edward Rogers. He is the second of three sons and is of English, Irish and German descent.

13. He comes from a family of sportsmen

He is the older brother of Jordan Rogers, an American sports commentator and former college and professional football quarterback. You may also know him from the popular dating show “The Bachelor,” where he won. Rodgers’ dad was an offensive lineman who played college football at California State University, Chico.

14. He was interested in football at an early age

By the age of 2, Aaron Rodgers could sit through an entire NFL game quietly watching it. By the age of 5, he was already able to throw a football through a tire hanging from a tree and also determine various football formations on television.

15. At the age of 10, he was featured on the front page of the Ukiah Daily Journal

He is an all-around athlete who excels in every sport he played. He played baseball and basketball in his youth and at 10 years old, he was on the front page of a local newspaper for his top performance at a local basketball free throw competition.

16. He set single-game records of six touchdowns and 440 all-purpose yards in high school

Even in high school, Rodgers already exhibited top-tier talent in football. He set a single-season school record with 2,466 total yards in 2001.

17. He is an all-around achiever

Rodgers played baseball in elementary school and excelled in football in high school and was already a quarterback. He was also very studious and dedicated to his academics. He graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in spring 2002, after scoring 1310 on the SAT and with an A− average.

18. He played baseball in his youth

He played in the Raleigh Hills Little League as shortstop, center and pitcher and excelled at it. His fastball was clocked upwards of 90 mph.

19. He considered giving up football entirely

Rodgers wanted to attend Florida State and play under head coach Bobby Bowden but was rejected. At that time, he was only offered an opportunity to compete for a scholarship as a walk-on from the University of Illinois. Rodgers declined the invitation and considered quitting football to play baseball or entirely giving up on the idea of playing professional sports and attend law school after completing his undergraduate degree.

20. He is a big fan of Joe Montana

Rodgers reminisces his time competing for the Cal Bears in college when he wore a Joe Montana T-shirt under his uniform. It makes sense that he idolizes “Joe Cool,” especially since he's a quarterback with over 40,000 passing yards, 273 touchdowns and four Super Bowl victories. Rodgers’ favorite team is the San Francisco 49ers and he had always dreamed of playing for them. He was hurt when he was not chosen during the 2005 NFL draft.

21. He loves music and is passionate about it

Rodgers also owns his own record label, Suspended Sunrise Recordings, where he tries to help aspiring artists make it big in the music industry. Aaron Rodgers and his friend Ryan Zachary signed their first band, The Make, in 2011. Another fun fact about his love for music is that he is a self-taught guitarist. In episode of his web show, he reveals to a young girl that he is a One Direction fan. On the flip side, Harry Styles told him that he is a Green Bay Packers fan.

22. He proved his intelligence and showed his heart on national television

In the summer of 2015, Rodgers made an appearance on Celebrity Jeopardy! -- and crushed it. Apart from winning $50,000, he showed that he’s smarter than an astronaut and a well-known "Shark Tank" entrepreneur. In the episode, Rodgers beat astronaut Mark Kelly and Kevin O’Leary, also known as "Mr. Wonderful." He donated what he won to MACC Fund, Inc. (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc.).

23. He was one of Jeopardy’s celebrity guest hosts

According to Green Bay Press-Gazette, he was one of the celebrities to step up as an aspiring host after the show’s former host Alex Trebek passed away in November 2020. Rodgers was a host for two weeks in April 2021 and had favorable reviews and ratings. He loved the show as a kid and rewatched and studied old episodes as preparation. However, he only ranked 5th among the aspirants losing the position to executive producer Mike Richards and actress Mayim Bialik.

24. He loves golf -- and is good at it

Rodgers is known to watch the PGA Championship in person. He also participates in the American Century Championship, a tournament that features current and former athletes and celebrities. In the 2018 championship, he shot a 79 and tied for 18th place with Minnesota Vikings receiver Adam Thielen, one year after coming in eighth place.

25. He made a cameo appearance on “The Office”

Rodgers made a cameo on the 9th and final season of the show where he played himself as a judge in a singing contest where they rejected Andy Bernard. He’s friends with Brian Baumgartner who plays Kevin Malone in the series. He also has a cameo on “Game of Thrones” in the fifth episode of the eighth season where he plays a soldier but is hardly seen. It was hilarious to watch fans of both the series and of the Green Bay Packers quarterback try to guess which of the minor roles he was playing. On the internet, many assumed that he was a soldier running away from an explosion while others thought he was an archer that got a second or two of screen time. However, it was revealed that his role was so small that his face was not even aired and he was hardly seen in the scenes he was included in. Despite all these, he enjoyed the experience immensely.

26. He is known to photobomb

Rodgers has a sense of humor. Since 2006, Rodgers has photobombed every Packers captains’ photo taken. He's even known to photobomb famous people in the Oscars. He keeps his photobombing realistic pretending he just happened to be there at the wrong place at the wrong time. He is usually seen in the background looking far away or lost and confused, but he is there and in almost all of the photos too. But it’s all in good fun that keeps fans amused. Green Bay Packers fans love the photobombing and watch out for it in every season.

27. He is unvaccinated and chooses to be

Rodgers confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show on November 5 that he is unvaccinated and was disappointed with the backlash he received. He tested positive for COVID-19 a week before and took advice on how to treat it from Joe Rogan. He missed the game against the Kansas City Chiefs and was required to sit out team activities for the next 10 days. Rodgers claims he is allergic to an ingredient found in the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines while being skeptical about the possible side effects of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

According to a report by CNN, Rodgers stated "I'm going to have the best immunity possible now based on the 2.5-million-person study from Israel that the people that get Covid and recover, have the most robust immunity. I'm thankful for people like Joe stepping up and using his voice. I'm thankful for my medical squad and I'm thankful for all the love and support I've gotten but I've been taking monoclonal antibodies, ivermectin, zinc, vitamin C and DHCQ and I feel pretty incredible." In August, he said he'd been "immunized." He said he had taken a homeopathic "immunization protocol" advised by a medical team. He considers himself a “critical thinker” and not a “flat earth anti-vaxxer.” He believes strongly in body autonomy and finding the best way to keep it healthy because according to him, “Health is not one size fits all.”

28. He is engaged to actress Shailene Woodley

Rodgers dated actress Olivia Munn from 2014 to 2017. In early 2018, he was revealed to be dating race-car driver Danica Patrick. In an MVP acceptance speech in February 2021, Rodgers said that he is engaged to actress Shailene Woodley. Later that month, Woodley confirmed their engagement on The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon. Woodley never thought she would be dating “a man who throws balls for a living” and never saw Rodgers as a football star -- or in any of his games. They met during the pandemic so there were many restrictions in live sports at that time. Also, sports was not a big part of her life so she knows Rodgers as the “nerd who wants to host Jeopardy.” She has been defending him against the backlash he has received for being unvaccinated.

29. He Gives Back to Charity

In his web series, It’s Aaron, he surprises charity and nonprofit workers by hanging out with them. In one of the episodes, Rodgers plays guitar with a young girl who wanted to raise awareness for Spina Bifida. He gave his winnings from Celebrity Jeopardy! to the charity MACC Fund, Inc. (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc.).

30. His return to the field got him worked up

Rodgers returned to the field after quarantine, after testing positive for COVID-19. He missed out on a game during that period which resulted in a Packers loss in Kansas City. He’s returned but not in his best shape yet. Following a season that restricted the number of fans, his return to the NFL was sentimental and passionate. The Packers beat the Seattle Seahawks 17-0. Fans are happy to see him back on the field after numerous issues with the Green Bay Packers this season.