Aaron Rodgers Leaned on an NFL Legend to Help Him Through Concussions Early in His Career

Aaron Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers quarterback, has been in the NFL for over a decade. He is one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in the league and has led his team to five Super Bowl appearances and three championships. One of those championships was won with Brett Favre as his quarterback.

Aaron Rodgers is a professional football player. He has been in the NFL for over a decade and has had many concussions throughout his career. One of his biggest supporters was former Green Bay Packers legend, Brett Favre. Read more in detail here: packers fans on aaron rodgers.

Green Bay Packers icon Aaron Rodgers has become a sounding board for rookie quarterbacks in the NFL after a 17-year career. The quarterback recently disclosed that as a young quarterback, he sought advice from an NFL legend about concussions and long-term health problems. Rodgers has a long-standing link to his mentor’s old club, which makes their friendship all the more intriguing.

Aaron Rodgers’ history with concussions 

Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers rests between plays during the first half against the San Francisco 49ers in the game at Levi's Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Santa Clara, California.

Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers rests between plays during the first half against the San Francisco 49ers in the game at Levi's Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Santa Clara, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images photo of Aaron Rodgers

The NFL is a contact sport that often results in head injuries. Concussions are still a significant worry for NFL players, despite recent rule changes, particularly when it comes to hitting the quarterback.

Concussions have forced some of the league’s greatest names to retire. Players like as Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Al Toon, and Luke Kuechly all retired early due to recurrent head injuries.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has experience with concussions as a player who has played on both sides of the NFL’s concussion emphasis.

According to ESPN, the former Cal Bear quarterback has suffered three concussions throughout his NFL career. The first two concussions occurred in 2010, when the Packers won the Super Bowl.

Rodgers had his first head injury in a Week 5 game against Washington. The next week, he faced the Miami Dolphins. The second concussion occurred against the Detroit Lions in Week 14 and held him out of the next week’s 31-27 defeat to the New England Patriots.

In 2018, he suffered his third head injury, this time against the Lions. The Packers finished the season with a 6-9-1 record after losing their season finale.

Rodgers sought out to a great player who had dealt with concussions in the past for advice.

Rodgers has a unique bond with a former San Francisco 49ers great who suffered from concussions.

The quarterback and former NFL punter-turned-talk-show host Pat McAfee 2.0 addressed being a mentor in the NFL during his weekly visit on The Pat McAfee 2.0 Show. Rodgers was questioned by McAfee whether any past or present players who aren’t well-known assisted him in his career.

Rodgers said that he had a great signal-caller that he sought guidance from early in his career, and the two have remained close to this day:

Steve Young has been a long-time friend and mentor to me, particularly when I was younger. I believe I contacted him after my second concussion in 2010. I simply wanted him to assuage some of my concerns about concussions and long-term health since I knew he had a lot of concussions during his career, including a severe one towards the end. As a result, I contacted him, and he was wonderful. And we’ve stayed in contact through the years, and he’s been a wonderful resource when I need him, as well as a sort of distant supporting buddy.

Steve Young on Aaron Rodgers

Rodgers also stated that he stays in contact with “Favre-y” (old teammate Brett Favre). He added that the two quarterbacks, who were often pitted against one other early in Rodgers’ career, had “become close friends in recent years.”

Rodgers’ unique bond with San Francisco 49ers great Steve Young is even more intriguing when you consider the 37-year-old quarterback’s connection with Young’s former club.

Aaron Rodgers was born and raised in Chico, California, just north of the Bay Area. Rodgers spent his whole childhood playing football in his native state of California, at Pleasant Valley High School, Butte Community College, and the University of California, Berkeley, according to Sports Illustrated. Even as a kid, the 6-foot-2 quarterback was a 49ers devotee.

The Niners had the No. 1 overall selection in 2005. The group, though, chose Utah’s Alex Smith over the local product.

In the offseason of 2021, the franchise and Rodgers crossed paths once again. During Rodgers’ unhappy summer, his hometown team emerged as one of the quarterback’s top choices. Rodgers reportedly intended to go west for personal reasons linked to his post-career aspirations and his Hollywood fiancée, in addition to being unhappy in Wisconsin.

Rodgers was acquainted with Kyle Shanahan’s system after working with Shanahan’s protégé Matt LaFleur for two years. The 49ers, on the other hand, moved up in the 2021 draft to choose North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance, which enabled Rodgers return to the Packers.

Rodgers’ favorite boyhood team seems to be an improbable option now that Lance is there, even if he departs Green Bay this summer. Because the two parties seem doomed to never work together again, he’ll have to rely on his friendship with San Francisco 49ers great Steve Young as his main link to the team.  

Pro Football Reference provided all stats.

RELATED: Bill Cowher and the crew from ‘NFL Today’ slam Aaron Rodgers: ‘He Looks Very Selfish, He Almost Looks Aloof’

Aaron Rodgers is a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. He has been a starter since he was drafted in 2005. In his career, he has had concussions. Early on in his career, he leaned on an NFL legend to help him through the concussions. Reference: 25 greatest quarterbacks in nfl history.

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