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Aaron Rodgers is on a mission to become the first player to ever win three consecutive MVP awards. He has four MVPs and a Super Bowl ring. He is absolutely one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history and will be a first ballot Hall of Famer whenever he retires.
However, there was a time when the legendary quarterback was not even the starter on his own team. For three whole seasons, Rodgers rode on the bench behind Brett Favre.
It may have helped his development to not have the pressure of being a starter. He was able to learn from one of the game's best quarterbacks, but it certainly didn't help his pride.
Aaron Rodgers admitted as much on the "Club Random with Bill Maher" podcast:
"It was interesting to sit right. Yeah. That guy? No, it was definitely an ego hit for sure. Because you think you come in any way? I'm the f*****g man. I'm gonna play right away and blah, blah, blah, and kind of.
"But the best thing was, I got to see what greatness was first hand. So, yeah, you know, not many quarterbacks had to come in and kind of have that tutorial. I remember from a guy who can really f*****g play."
Rodgers turned out just fine and the Green Bay Packers are probably better for it.
Quarterbacks that sat on the bench first like Aaron Rodgers
Many rookie quarterbacks are drafted to come in right away and make an impact. Quarterback-needy teams will take the guy they want and will usually throw him into the fire right away.
Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Kyler Murray, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson and many others were drafted and immediately became starters.
However, there are plenty of rookie quarterbacks who don't start and turn out fine, just like Aaron Rodgers. Patrick Mahomes sat behind Alex Smith for a year before immediately winning MVP in 2018.
Lamar Jackson sat behind Joe Flacco for a portion of the 2018 season and later won the MVP award in 2019. Trey Lance took the reigns from Jimmy Garoppolo after one season. Garoppolo sat behind Tom Brady for several years before becoming a starter.
Baker Mayfield sat behind Tyrod Taylor until he was injured. There is no correct way to do it. But most teams are not fortunate enough to have a starter they can lean on to give their rookie some breathing room.
