Aaron Rodgers’ Docuseries: Jets QB Reveals How Joe Montana Influenced His NFL Career When He Was a 49ers Fan

Aaron Rodgers took an unconventional path to the NFL. Before becoming a legitimate draft prospect at California, he attended Butte College (JUCO). Prior to that, he spent time at Pleasant Valley High School. But preceding all of those stops, he considered giving up football altogether while dominating on the baseball diamond as a middle schooler.

However, there’s one thing that pulled him back to the gridiron. Rodgers and his family of San Francisco 49ers’ fans witness quarterback Joe Montana orchestrate the game-winning drive of Super Bowl XXIII. Interestingly, Rodgers was just a six-year-old boy who supported the 49ers at that time. That legendary possession, according to Rodgers in the Netflix docuseries Aaron Rodgers: Enigma, is what ultimately drove him to pursue an NFL career.

“The feeling that I had in my body when I watched Joe Montana lead the [49ers] on a 92-yard drive in the Super Bowl against the Bengals. Just listening to the crowd through the TV. Feeling the excitement of all my cousins and uncles and aunts and grandparents. Everybody was [49ers] fans. Just to see the excitement this game gave them… I was like ‘I wanna be that person.'”

Rodgers got the honor of living out that dream in 2011. It didn’t come for San Francisco, but he provided that jolt of excitement for Green Bay Packers fans when he helped defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV. Rodgers threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns in the game to win the Super Bowl MVP award.

How does Aaron Rodgers compare to Joe Montana?

There are many NFL fans in the modern age who have claimed Aaron Rodgers is the most talented passer of the football they’ve ever seen. Rodgers having the highest passer rating (102.7) and lowest interception rate (1.4%) in NFL history would support that notion. However, most arguments for quarterbacks resort to less “analytic” departments.

Outside of that realm, Rodgers holds his own against Montana in their head-to-head comparison. The future Hall of Famer has more Pro Bowl appearances (10-8), All-Pro nods (4-3) and regular season MVP trophies (4-2) than Montana. He has also accumulated over 22,000 more passing yards (62,566) than Montana (40,551).

Montana does carry advantages in the categories typically considered “more important.” His winning percentage (71.3%) and postseason winning percentage (69.6%) dwarf Rodgers’ (63.8% regular season, 52.4% postseason). Montana also has a 4-0 Super Bowl record with three Super Bowl MVP awards. Rodgers has just the lone Super Bowl appearance and one Super Bowl MVP trophy.

For better or worse, postseason accolades are always going to outweigh regular season success. If Rodgers can somehow capture a second Lombardi Trophy in the years ahead, he might be able to make the conversation more interesting. But for now, Montana will be listed ahead of him in “greatest quarterback” debates more often than not.