Matt LaFleur makes mind-boggling revelation about the Packers' decision to draft Jordan Love during Aaron Rodgers' documentary on Netflix
Netflix released on Tuesday a documentary series called "Enigma," talking about the life, career, and transformation of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The third and final episode starts talking about the surprising process of the Green Bay Packers drafting Jordan Love in 2020, while Rodgers was obviously still playing at a high level. The scenes detail how […]
Netflix released on Tuesday a documentary series called "Enigma," talking about the life, career, and transformation of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The third and final episode starts talking about the surprising process of the Green Bay Packers drafting Jordan Love in 2020, while Rodgers was obviously still playing at a high level.
The scenes detail how surprising the decision was for Rodgers and some of his teammates, but one particular tidbit shared by head coach Matt LaFleur was particularly shocking.
"I don't think a lot of people, at least in our camp, thought that Jordan would have been there when we were picking and the opportunity presented itself," LaFleur revealed. "And it was an opportunity Ted Thompson thought was too good to pass up."
Update: Matt LaFleur denied Ted Thompson having any role in the decision to draft Jordan Love.
Yes, Ted Thompson wasn't the general manager of the Packers at that point anymore. Brian Gutekunst had taken over in 2018. But Thompson was still working for the team as a senior advisor to football operations and helped Gutekunst during his initial years as the top executive.
The story goes all the way around. Ted Thompson was hired as the general manager of the Packers in 2005, and his first draft selection was exactly Aaron Rodgers. At that time, that was equally surprising, since the team had Brett Favre.
Thompson was the GM through 2017 and was more active as an advisor during the first year or two after he left the top role. However, Ted Thompson announced in May 2019 that he had been diagnosed with autonomic disorder. He died less than a year after the Packers' decision to select Jordan Love, so that ended up being his final draft.
Obviously, the decision was made by Brian Gutekunst with a positive evaluation from head coach Matt LaFleur. But Ted Thompson was also part of the process, and he agreed that it was time to repeat the process he had put in action 15 years earlier.
Aaron Rodgers has hilarious reaction to Jordan Love becoming the highest-paid QB in the NFL
Rodgers and Love spent three years together in Green Bay
