Favre: Rodgers won't be replaced unless he chooses to be

By drafting former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round Thursday, the Green Bay Packers signaled that they are preparing for life after Aaron Rodgers.

Arguably no one knows how Rodgers is feeling better than the man he replaced in Green Bay, Hall of Famer Brett Favre.

Asked prior to the draft about the Packers potentially selecting a quarterback, Favre said he believes Rodgers will be the team's starter until the two-time MVP decides otherwise.

"Look, no one's going to replace Aaron unless Aaron chooses to be replaced. There's no worry for him that he's going to be ousted. He's too good of a player," Favre told TMZ Sports. "It's funny because Aaron and I were talking about it last year, how he gets how I was when he came in. Because now he's at that age that I was when he came in, and so it's getting about time that you start looking at drafting a guy or picking someone up in free agency.

"Not that we think Aaron is at the end of his road; I think he's got many good years, barring injury, ahead of him. But you do have to start grooming the next guy. And Aaron gets it."

While Favre and Rodgers had a strained relationship during their time together in Green Bay, they've become friends in recent years.

Favre was 35 years old and had been flirting with retirement when the Packers ended Rodgers' first-round slide in 2005. Rodgers is now 36 but hasn't shown a desire to hang up his cleats anytime soon.

He signed a four-year, $134-million extension in August 2018 and can't be cut or traded without incurring an enormous dead-money hit until after the 2021 season at the earliest.

While many saw the trade up to select Love as the beginning of the end for Rodgers in Green Bay, Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said Friday that he believes his QB remains the best in the league.

Gutekunst added that the team didn't plan on drafting Love but decided to take the young passer after he slid to 26th overall.

In March, Rodgers echoed Favre's belief that he won't be unseated in the foreseeable future.

"I'm confident (a young quarterback is) not going to beat me out anytime soon," he said.