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Why I Hate Aaron Rodgers, and Its Not the Reasons You Think

By Bill Zimmerman

Dec 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) reacts after the Packers were called for a penalty that nullified a touchdown pass against the Oakland Raiders in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Packers defeated the Raiders 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) reacts after the Packers were called for a penalty that nullified a touchdown pass against the Oakland Raiders in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Packers defeated the Raiders 30-20. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aaron Rodgers: Green Bay Packers Quarterback, Super Bowl Champion, former MVP and future hall of famer.  There are plenty of reasons to hate Aaron Rodgers as a fan of the Chicago Bears.

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Any of those reasons listed above are reason enough but the list doesn’t stop there. He has those annoying Discount Double Check ads (it was funny the first 4,876 times). He has that smug little smirk and that horrendous facial hair. He beats the Chicago Bears basically every time he takes the field. If you listen to his press conferences, Rodgers definitely knows he’s smarter than just about everyone else in the league (he’s not really wrong). He completes Hail Marys like they’re screen passes even when he’s having a “down year.” Oh, and then there’s the fact that he’s also known as Mr. Olivia Munn. Did I mention he plays for the Green Bay Packers?

Just one of those reasons would be plenty to hate on Mr. Rodgers but yet, none of those reasons are the basis for my loathsome feelings of number 12.

My reason is simple- Back in 2005, I wanted him on the Bears!

No, this is not some sports radio fan stance coming up with wacky trades, “Yeah, how about da Bears trade David Fales, Josh Bellamy and a third round pick to da Pack for Rodgers. I think it’s a win for both teams. I’ll hang up and listen.” No, that’s not it at all. Rodgers should have been a Bear and it was poor planning and historically awful drafting why he isn’t.

Let’s rewind the clock all the way back to 1999 when the Bears selected Cade McNown 12th overall. The Bears thought they had a future star. Long-time and well-respected football writer Peter King was famously quoted in saying, “Cade McNown is going to be good. Really good. Even in wind-whipped Chicago.” Oops. Bust doesn’t even begin to describe McNown. I remember Dan Hampton calling him a smurf in post game analysis and Bears linemen hated him so much they were reportedly letting defensive linemen into the backfield to drill their quarterback. Apparently the Bears needed Draft Day’s Kevin Costner to find out why no one went to McNown’s birthday party.

It didn’t take long for the Bears to realize what kind of disaster they had on their hands and McNown was gone before the 2001 season. But it left the Bears in search of their QB of the future so back to the draft they went. Fast forward to 2003 when the Bears spent a first round pick on Rex Grossman. Trivia question- Name a quarterback from a Steve Spurrier Florida team that did anything in the NFL? That’s a trick question because there isn’t one. Every football fan in America knew that, except the Bears who thought Grossman was the exception (he wasn’t). Hell, it took Grossman four years to earn the starting job and he wasn’t exactly stuck behind Joe Montana and Steve Young.

Fast forward again to 2005. The Bears had the fourth pick in the draft. The 49ers sat with the first overall pick and everyone knew they were picking a QB. Once they settled on Alex Smith, it opened the door for Aaron Rodgers out of Cal to be the next QB taken. The Bears had an embarrassing collection of QBs the previous season- Chad Hutchinson, Craig Krenzel, Jonathan Quinn and Grossman. Selecting Rodgers was a no brainier. Yes, the team spent a first round pick on Grossman two years earlier, but clearly he was a big question mark and you don’t pass on a talent like Rodgers. So the Bears selected… Cedric Benson? The Bears had a capable running back in Thomas Jones so why not spend a top 4 pick on a running back that had already touched the ball 1200 times at Texas? He was already middle aged by running back standards but that didn’t stop the Bears. So the selection was made, and another poor choice doomed the Bears franchise. Rodgers slipped, falling all the way down to the Packers at 24. It was Green Bay’s gain, and 23 other teams’ loss.

Jan 31, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and girlfriend actress Olivia Munn on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors award ceremony at Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 31, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and girlfriend actress Olivia Munn on the red carpet prior to the NFL Honors award ceremony at Symphony Hall. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Is doomed too strong? The Bears did make the Super Bowl in 2006 but that was thanks to Devin Hester and a phenomenal defense, they didn’t exactly get there on the arm of Rex Grossman and the legs of Cedric Benson. Now I know hindsight is 20-20, but this argument is based on common sense. I wanted the Bears to take Rodgers in 2005 and they didn’t. Believe me, I get plenty wrong, I’ll show you my David Terrell jersey if you want proof. The Bears had an opportunity to get a great QB and they chose to select a running back with a lot of miles on his tires.

So now, more than a decade later, Rodgers is tearing up the league and Grossman and Benson are nowhere to be found. As the NFL combine gets all the press and makes us think of all the horrendous Bears draft choices, I think about Aaron Rodgers and how he isn’t a member of the Chicago Bears.

Any Packer fan reading this is probably saying to themselves, “Wow, what a sad, jealous, pathetic Bears fan.” My response? Damn right! Decades of drafting ineptitude is going to do that to a fan. Is there hope now? Absolutely. Ryan Pace had a great first class and is looking to duplicate that in year two, but that doesn’t change the fact that I can still look back on what the Bears could have done and realize what the franchise did. It’s a bitter pill to swallow. It would have been great to see Aaron Rodgers breaking franchise records in the navy and orange, but instead he wears green and gold on Sundays. There’s really nothing more to say except one last thing-

I hate Aaron Rodgers, and I hope you do too.

Bill Zimmerman is an editor and featured writer for FanSided‘s BearGogglesOn. Like his Facebook page or follow him on Twitter for more news and interaction.

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