In Week 1 and Week 2, it was ESPN’s Adam Schefter selectively dropping San Francisco 49ers nuggets on the morning of their games. For this Sunday’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport joined the fray with an interestingly timed report of his own about Aaron Rodgers.
Citing unnamed sources, Rapoport wrote of this past offseason, “[T]he 49ers were [Aaron] Rodgers’ top choice when it came to a new destination. And when the 49ers made their phone call to coach Matt LaFleur, it was done because they got word that Rodgers was more than into it.”
That discussion between 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and LaFleur was recently the subject of its own drama and gossip, which fellow NFL reporter Mike Silver retold in a Twitter thread.
It seems like an eternity ago now, but before the NFL Draft, Rodgers had reportedly signaled his displeasure with the Green Bay franchise in private. Other teams caught wind — including San Francisco — and of course reached out to the Packers, since Rodgers is the reigning MVP and a future hall of famer. But it sounds like Green Bay was never seriously considering any Rodgers-related deals, and shut Shanahan down almost immediately.
If you’re a Niners fan, you know what happened next: San Francisco pulled off a massive trade to move up to No. 3 in the draft, and selected Trey Lance. For “Sunday Night Football,” barring an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, Lance is likely to remain (mostly) on the sideline.
The San Francisco-Rodgers rumors are undeniably intriguing, especially given Rodgers’ NorCal ties and legendary status with the Cal Golden Bears. But as was the case with the Schefter reports earlier this season, it’s worth asking how long Rapoport was sitting on this information before deciding to disperse it to the public — and if he did wait until this Sunday, why?
