For the first time since January 2021, the longstanding rivalry between Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the San Francisco 49ers is set be gloriously reignited.
Seven months after the heartbreaking overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas last February, the 49ers return to Levi’s Stadium in week 1 of the 2024 NFL season to take on the New York Jets in Monday Night Football.
Given the vexed relationship between Rodgers – who was traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Jets after the 2022 season – and most longstanding 49ers fans, the matchup has been highly anticipated ever since the season’s schedule was released in May.
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The 49ers infamously overlooked Rodgers in selecting quarterback Alex Smith as the first overall pick in the 2005 draft, with Rodgers eventually being acquired by the Packers as the 24th pick of the first round.
Rodgers, who grew up just a few hours north of San Francisco in the Sacramento Valley city of Chico, never made any secret of the fact that he wanted to be drafted by the 49ers. When asked after the draft about how disappointed he was that the 49ers had overlooked him, Rodgers infamously quipped: “Not as disappointed as the 49ers will be that they didn’t draft me”.
And Rodgers was probably true to his word. He went on to play 18 seasons with the Packers, leading them to victory as the game’s MVP in Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Along the way, he amassed countless passing records and currently holds the highest career passer rating in NFL history, at 103.6. He was also selected to ten Pro Bowls and received the league’s MVP award on four occasions (second only to Peyton Manning, with five).
By contrast, the 49ers used 16 different quarterbacks during Rodgers’ 18-year tenure with the Packers and failed to raise the Vince Lombardi trophy in either of their two Super Bowl appearances. Yet whilst the 49ers and Rodgers are tied 7-7 in 14 meetings, the Packers lost to the 49ers in all four playoffs matchups – a certain sore point which Rodgers has never publicly acknowledged.
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
It is no wonder that 49ers-Packers matchups have always been extra spicy. So when Rodgers was traded to the Jets in April 2023, the rivalry which had delivered so much drama over so many seasons had seemingly ended.
But the rivalry has now been reignited, with Rodgers set to meet the 49ers again, at the same place his hopes for a second Super Bowl ring were shattered in the NFC Championship Game in January 2020.
And incredibly, the rivalry has gained even more spice this time round.
In his debut for the Jets last season, Rodgers suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the season opener against the Buffalo Bills, after being sacked by defensive lineman Leonard Floyd. Rodgers missed the entire 2023 season and Floyd revealed last week that he and his family had received death threats at the time over the injury.
In a highly unlikely twist of fate, the 49ers signed Floyd on a two-year deal in March this year, meaning that not only will Rodgers be facing the 49ers, he will again come face-to-face with Floyd, only this time in a 49ers uniform.
The 49ers’ roster features a galaxy of stars and the team is highly favoured to return to the Super Bowl in New Orleans at the end of the season. Thus, anything short of a comprehensive victory against the Jets will be cause for alarm, particularly given the very high standard set in recent times by virtue of playing in four NFC Championship Games and two Super Bowls in the past five seasons.
For Rodgers, on the other hand, who turned 40 last December and is surely entering the final stage of his exceptional career, the showdown on Monday Night Football may very well be his last in a truly captivating rivalry with the 49ers – one which, over many years, delivered countless highlights and routinely failed to disappoint.