Y'all know the story.
In April 2005, weeks before the NFL Draft. Then-Tampa Bay Bucs head coach Jon Gruden, his GM Bruce Allen and Jerry Rice came to Memorial Stadium to workout Aaron Rodgers.
The Oakland Tribune's Jerry McDonald was granted behind-the-scenes access to that day, and he wrote about it here:
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2005/04/10/rodgers-performs-for-gruden/
(I can't believe the story is still up.)
I've read this article numerous times, and I was always left with the impression that Rodgers -- kinda cocky, kinda teasing Gruden -- rubbed Gruden the wrong way. Which is why Gruden selected Cadillac Williams with the No. 5 pick when he really needed a QB.
Anyways, since Gruden's football career is over. I thought of that article again. I'm trying to imagine what Rodgers' career would've looked like if he had Gruden drafted him. I can't imagine it being a success.
But as this article in Slate points out, Gruden *is* the most NFL person, which is why it took nearly 6 hours for Rodgers to get drafted.
Gruden is a more comprehensive encapsulation of an NFL poster-boy than almost anyone else on Earth. https://t.co/2Q8tVgIXUW
— Slate (@Slate) October 12, 2021