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Alex Smith was in the spot Aaron Rodgers wanted to be in on draft night in 2005, but the San Francisco 49ers made, perhaps, the biggest mistake of all in franchise history by not drafting the California kid. The Niners have only ever been close to a Super Bowl win since 2005, twice winning the NFC but falling short in the title game. Aaron Rodgers is a Super Bowl MVP.
For those unaware, Rodgers was a huge 49ers fan growing up in the Golden State. He shared his greatest memories in 2019 in an interview with Mike Tirico ahead of a matchup between his Packers and San Francisco:
"That was so important for me, as far as setting dreams and goals was being able to watch the late '80s and early '90s 49ers teams, which were obviously fantastic. I remember sitting down. We'd have a big Super Bowl party, and watching [Joe Montana] and The Drive. Then thinking, even at five, six years old, 'That's what I want to do.
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"I want to go out and be like that. I watched Joe Montana and Steve Young growing up, so those were my two favorite players. Being right-handed, obviously, I thought I was Joe. I distinctly remember watching the Niner-Bengal game [in Super Bowl XXIII], The Drive, on the eight-yard line and going all the way down the field and hitting John Taylor to win that game, and following that up with a 55-10 victory over Denver. That was my childhood.”
That's why it was so hurtful for Aaron Rodgers to be passed on in favor of Alex Smith. When the Cal QB was passed on at No. 1, it took another 22 teams to have the chance to draft him before he was taken with the No. 24 pick.
It was a moment Rodgers would never forget. He made sure to share his prophetic statement on draft night, for all of us to look back on and appreciate since he was dead-on. When asked if he was disappointed he wasn't a 49er, Rodgers proclaimed it wasn't, in fact, him who would feel like the other got the last laugh, but San Francisco:
"Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn’t draft me.”
The San Francisco 49ers got the last laugh on Aaron Rodgers this past postseason
While the Packers bested the 49ers this past September, it was San Francisco that had the last laugh in the postseason. Green Bay lost 13-10 in the divisional round, ending Rodgers' MVP season in the NFC Divisional Round.
That loss dropped his all-time record to 6-7 against a team he said would be disappointed that they didn't draft him. Looking back, it's fair to say his words speak some truth, considering their mere five postseason appearances since 2005, but at the same time, conference championship game appearances occurred every year they made the playoffs.
Interestingly enough, the 49ers were an Aaron Rodgers suitor this past offseason, but the quarterback re-signed with Green Bay instead. San Francisco's draft day mistake may be one they will forever have to live with, considering the California kid appears to have found a home in America's Dairyland.
