Aaron Rodgers has long been one of the NFL’s most polarizing figures. For over a decade, he’s been both admired and criticized, praised by teammates yet ridiculed by the media. His outspoken nature, unconventional beliefs, and occasional dive into conspiracy theories have made him a lightning rod for controversy.
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But step inside a locker room, and a different picture emerges. To those who’ve shared the field with him, Rodgers isn’t the aloof, difficult figure often painted in headlines. Instead, he’s a commanding presence, a trusted leader, and, above all, a mentor.
Unlike his predecessor, Brett Favre, who openly resisted the idea of mentoring, Rodgers embraced it. He took Jordan Love under his wing in Green Bay, just as he had guided younger players since his days at Cal. Even then, his leadership went beyond play-calling; it was about accountability.
Marshawn Lynch, who spent a season alongside Rodgers at UC Berkeley, still recalls one moment that defined his respect for the quarterback. Lynch had blown an assignment during a play, but Rodgers improvised, salvaging the down. Their running backs coach, furious about the mistake, stormed the field ready to tear into Lynch. Before the criticism could land, Rodgers stepped in and shouldered the blame himself, claiming he had misread the play.
” What happened was I did something that wasn’t right, and in the middle of the play, he did something to correct it. The running back coach noticed that, and he went What are you doing, blah blah blah. A-Rod was like, You know it’s my bad. Head coach comes over like, What’s going on? The running back coach was like Marshawn did the wrong thing, and Aaron was like he didn’t. But then he pulled me to the sideline like, Hey, you need to get your sh*t together.”
The incident and play Marshawn talked about happened during the 2004 Golden Bears spring game. He was still a freshman, who luckily got an opportunity to practice against the First-Team defense. Feeling the pressure, intimidated by the seniors around him, he made a faux pas after losing his composure.
Lynch apparently ran towards the opposing team’s end zone, going against the play strategy. But Rodgers, who was a senior, took all the blame on himself, claiming that the faulty play was according to plan.
That moment stuck with Lynch. From then on, he approached the game with more composure and preparation, carrying Rodgers’s lesson with him into the NFL. Years later, when asked about the best quarterback he ever played with, Lynch didn’t hesitate. His answer: Aaron Rodgers.
