Apparently, the former Packers general manager had significant say in the selection of the first-round quarterback

If you’re one of the few people who haven’t been burnt out by overexposure to Aaron Rodgers over the last few years, Netflix has brought you a gift: three hour-long episodes of a docuseries titled “Aaron Rodgers: Enigma.” The series touches on several subjects, but notably follows Rodgers through his in-season Achilles rehab as he hoped to build toward a comeback that simply never materialized during the 2023 season.

In the final episode, though, genuinely new information was revealed. When discussing the selection of quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 draft, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had the following to say about the pick:

“I don’t think a lot of people, at least in our camp, thought that Jordan would have been there when we were picking and the opportunity presented itself. It was an opportunity that Ted Thompson was too good to pass up.”

Ted Thompson? In 2020, general manager Brian Gutekunst was in his third year at the helm of the Packers’ front office following Thompson’s retirement. Thompson said years later that one reason why he retired from the general manager position was because he was diagnosed with an autonomic disorder, which impacts the body’s nervous system. Less than a year after the selection of Love, Thompson passed away.

At the time of Love’s selection, Thompson was serving his final year as a senior advisor to the Packers’ front office. Apparently, he had enough sway in the front office at that point that LaFleur remembers Love being a selection that was swayed by the two-time NFL Executive of the Year and Green Bay Packers Hall of Famer’s opinion.

If we’re crediting Thompson with bringing the Packers two franchise quarterbacks, along with a Super Bowl squad, it’s time to start the Pro Football Hall of Fame campaign.