The 2005 NFL Draft will never be forgotten, especially for four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. Everyone knows the San Francisco 49ers selected Alex Smith first overall. While Smith had a good career despite being impacted by catastrophic injuries, Rodgers has had a Hall of Fame career.
Prior to the draft, there was a great amount of uncertainty surrounding who the first overall pick would be, and Rodgers was one of the top candidates. However, Rodgers not only wasn’t taken first, he slipped out of the top ten picks altogether. Imagine that today, when the 2024 NFL Draft featured a record-tying six QBs taken in the first round.
But Rodgers’ draft day fall didn’t end until the Green Bay Packers shockingly selected Brett Favre’s replacement 24th overall. However, new information recently revealed that there was a team that made a draft day promise to make the Super Bowl champion a top-five pick.
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Jon Gruden made false draft day promise to Aaron Rodgers in 2005
The recently released Aaron Rodgers biography Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers is unveiling a lot of previously unknown information. One of the golden nuggets was found by Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
According to the book, Rodgers once had a private pre-draft workout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he had a chance to throw passes to Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice. During that workout, then-Bucs head coach Jon Gruden reportedly told Rodgers, “If you’re there at five, we’re taking you.”
Of course, we know that didn’t happen. Buccaneers general manager Bruce Allen reportedly informed Rodgers’ agent, Mike Sullivan, that Tampa Bay would be going in a different direction before the draft kicked off. The Buccaneers instead drafted running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams fifth overall, a decision that would never happen in today’s era, choosing a running back over a quarterback.
Williams had a fine career. He actually won Offensive Rookie of the Year, but like many other running backs, his career only lasted seven seasons.
Meanwhile, Rodgers is still ticking, and soon enough, he’ll have a place in the Canton Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yet, the Buccaneers aren’t the only team who passed up on the opportunity to draft one of the greatest quarterbacks of our generation.
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