10 Most Shocking Reveals From Netflix's Aaron Rodgers: Enigma Documentary

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Aaron Rodgers: Enigma.Netflix’s Aaron Rodgers: Enigma docuseries takes a deep dive into the quarterback’s NFL career as well as his life off the field, revealing some surprising truths about the long-time Green Bay Packer. The series’ unfettered exploration of Rodgers’ mindset gives it a shot at ranking among the best sports documentaries on Netflix, partly due to the project’s broad focus on Rodgers’ exploits outside football and within it. Enigma gives the future Hall-of-Famer a chance to share his side of the story on some of the more divisive stories about him as well as share some completely new information.

Before being traded to the New York Jets, Rodgers was a Packer for 18 years, starting in Green Bay for the last 15 years of that stretch. Taking over from Brett Favre, Rodgers shot to stardom when he led Green Bay to victory in Super Bowl VLX in February 2011. His command at the line of scrimmage and innate throwing talent have made him one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. However, public opinion of Rodgers has changed lately due to his life away from the football field, and Enigma allows viewers to reconsider whether that shift is fair.

Aaron Rodgers Is Estranged From His Family

He also talks about his brother’s time on The Bachelorette

In Engima, Rodgers mentions his family very little, but there are a few moments when he comments on what his dynamic was like with his parents when he was growing up, and also what their relationship is like now. In short, Rodgers isn’t on very good terms with his parents or his two brothers. However, the quarterback doesn’t go into much detail about why he hasn’t spoken to them for years.

From what little Aaron Rodgers’ says about the sensitive subject in
Enigma
, it seems as though his ”
alternative lifestyle
” is at least part of the reason why his family has been divided.

The family issues were first made public in 2016, when Aaron Rodgers’ younger brother, Jordan, appeared on The Bachelorette. Jordan Rodgers’ feud with Aaron wasn’t spoken about at length on the reality show, but it was enough to bring it into the public arena. From what little Aaron Rodgers’ says about the sensitive subject in Enigma, it seems as though his “alternative lifestyle” is at least part of the reason why his family has been divided. Specifically, Rodgers’ move away from conventional religion sounds like it may have been a factor, but Enigma doesn’t confirm this.

Rodgers Struggled To Find A College Team Out Of High School

The QB played 1 season at Butte before transferring to Cal

Enigma spends a good deal of time on Rodgers’ high school football career. He quickly made a big impression on his coaches and teammates at Pleasant Valley High School in Chico, California, and the footage shown in the docuseries reveals flashes of the superstar Rodgers would eventually become. Surprisingly, after graduation, Rodgers found it difficult to find a college of his choosing that would give him a football scholarship.

In 2005, Rodgers forewent his final year at college and entered the NFL draft.

Eventually, Rodgers played a season at Butte College in 2002. From there, he continued to grow as a quarterback and attracted the attention of the University of California’s head coach, Jeff Tedford. Amusingly, Rodgers nearly missed out on the chance to become a Golden Bear, as he misunderstood the wording of Tedford’s scholarship offer, and it took the coach chasing Rodgers down weeks later to ask him again. In 2005, Rodgers forewent his final year at college and entered the NFL draft.

Aaron Rodgers Never Expected To Be Drafted By The Green Bay Packers

Rodgers fell to the Packers with the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft

Although he quickly became synonymous with the Wisconsin city, Rodgers hadn’t anticipated playing for Green Bay. Even since his departure for New York in 2022, there are many who still think of him in the signature green and gold uniform of the team where Rodgers spent the first 18 years of his career. He was a highly touted prospect out of college and was even predicted by many to be picked first overall by the San Francisco 49ers – Rodgers’ childhood team.

Aaron Rodgers was the second of three quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2005 NFL draft. The third was Jason Campbell (25th overall), who was taken by Washington.

When the 49ers chose quarterback Alex Smith instead, Rodgers revealed in Enigma that then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden had reassured him he would draft Rodgers with their pick – which sat at fifth overall – if he was still available. Gruden went back on his word, and Rodgers continued to fall through the draft until Green Bay eventually took him with the 24th overall pick. Rodgers also states in Enigma that his interview at Green Bay had felt very uncomfortable, but it didn’t worry him that much because he never expected to fall to 24th in the draft.

Rodgers Had An Uncertain Relationship With Brett Favre

Rodgers became Favre’s teammate in 2005 & took over as the Packers’ starter in 2008

When Rodgers was drafted by Green Bay, he was thrust into the beginnings of a quarterback controversy. The quarterback position was filled, at the time, by Packers legend Brett Favre, who was in the final years of his career but still beloved by the Green Bay fan base. Through the years, there have been various stories about how Favre and his eventual replacement got along during their three years as teammates, and Rodgers tells another in Enigma.

The docuseries addresses Favre’s belief that it wasn’t his job to get Aaron Rodgers ready to take over as the Packers’ starting quarterback and that Favre’s focus was always on winning games for the team rather than serving as a mentor to the franchise’s heir. Rodgers’ sentiments in Enigma certainly suggest Favre was staunch in his philosophy. Rodgers confirms in the docuseries that while he and Favre eventually developed a friendship, he never felt as though the legend that preceded him ever really acted like a mentor.

Strangely, 2020 gave history a chance to repeat itself when the Packers made the shock decision to draft Jordan Love as the heir apparent to Aaron Rodgers.

Strangely, 2020 gave history a chance to repeat itself when the Packers made the shock decision to draft Jordan Love as the heir apparent to Aaron Rodgers. In Enigmia, Rodgers discusses the parallels between this scenario and the one in which he found himself in 2005. Rather than retreat from Love or cause any hostility, Rodgers did what Favre never did and took Love under his wing, directly guiding him and teaching him what it took to be the starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers.

Aaron Rodgers Is No Stranger To Ayahuasca Retreats

Enigma reveals Rodgers has been interested in alternative medicine for quite some time

It’s public knowledge that Rodgers has an unconventional approach to medicine at times, as proven by the controversy surrounding his claims of being “immunized” to COVID-19 – which is also addressed in Enigma. What the Netflix docuseries really highlights is just how often Rodgers makes these excursions to partake in Ayahuasca ceremonies. Not only that, but he isn’t even the only NFL player present at these events.

Folded into this point is Rodger’s darkness retreat, where he spent days in perpetual darkness while meditating on whether he should retire or continue his NFL career into his forties. Of course, this unorthodox decision method was understandably sensationalized in the media at the time, but Enigma manages to shine new light on Rodgers’ process of deciding his future.

The NFL’s Restrictions On The COVID-19 Season In 2020 Helped Rodgers’ Performance

Rodgers’ stats were off the charts in 2020

Football is a sport that thrives on the presence of thousands of fans in stadiums across the country. Whenever a team is running low on motivation, it can often be found among the screaming people in the stands as they encourage the home team, or even try to knock their opponents off their game. True to the title of the Aaron Rodgers documentary, this mysteriously wasn’t the case for the titular athlete’s 2020 season. Instead, he had one of the best years of his career from a statistical standpoint.

The silence in the stadiums during 2020 allowed Rodgers to capitalize even more on his ability to draw defenses offside with his quarterback cadence.

Playing in empty stadiums throughout 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, Rodgers threw for a staggering 48 touchdowns and was only intercepted 5 times in 16 games. With a total of 4,299 passing years and a quarterback rating of 121.5 (perfect being 158.3), Rodgers’ claims in Enigma that the relative silence helped him kick into another gear certainly seem to ring true. His season was so impressive that he won one of his four MVP awards that year.

Green Bay Went Back On Their Word When It Came To Allowing Rodgers To Come Back For The 2023 Season

Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets in 2022

Rodgers’ final season as a Packer ended in disappointment as they lost to the Detroit Lions in a game that would have sent Green Bay to the playoffs. His performance throughout the season had been hindered by injuries, the most prominent of which was a broken thumb on his throwing hand – which he managed to play through. Given his age and failure to take the team to the post-season, there were many speculating – including Rodgers – that the partnership was about to draw to a close. However, Rodgers states in Enigma that Green Bay quickly put those fears to rest.

What the New York Jets received in the Rodgers trade

• QB Aaron Rodgers
• 2023 first-round draft pick
• 2023 fifth-round draft pick

What the Green Bay Packers received in the Rodgers trade

• 2023 first-round draft pick
• 2023 second-round pick
• 2023 sixth-round pick
• 2024 conditional second-round pick (contingent on Rodgers playing 65% of snaps)

After being told his position as the Packers’ starting quarterback was safe, Rodgers later found out via his agent that Green Bay had made their longest-serving player available to be traded. There was talk of Rodgers’ disquiet with the team around that time, but his comments in Enigma suggest he was genuinely surprised and perhaps even disappointed to be cut loose by the team that drafted him. So, months before his 40th birthday, Rodgers became a New York Jet.

Aaron Rodgers’ Reaction To Winning Super Bowl XLV

The QB won it all with the Packers in 2011

Getting to a Super Bowl and snagging a Vince Lombardi Trophy is the number one goal of every NFL player. It’s the main prize in the sport, and so it motivates every athlete in the league to perform to the peak of their abilities and achieve their dream. Interestingly, Rodgers provides one possible sobering reality of getting to the top, when he reveals in Enigma that his main thought on the trip home from winning Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, Texas was, “Now what?“

Rodgers had just turned 27 years old when he won the Super Bowl (and Super Bowl MVP), so he was still a relatively young man.

Rodgers had just turned 27 years old when he won the Super Bowl (and Super Bowl MVP), so he was still a relatively young man. Interestingly, in Enigma, the quarterback discusses his mindset in the wake of the victory and points out that he had very quickly achieved pretty much everything he had worked his whole life for, making him feel directionless after it was over. This is a surprising reaction to winning it all, but not too difficult to understand when he explains the logic behind the emotion.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Considered Aaron Rodgers As A Candidate For US Vice President

Vice President Rodgers never became a reality

Aaron Rodgers is seen spending time with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy. While it’s an unexpected friendship, it becomes even more unusual when it turns out their relationship went far beyond being civil acquaintances. Surprisingly, it turns out Aaron Rodgers was on Kennedy’s shortlist when the latter ran for US President in 2024. In short, Kennedy wanted Rodgers with him as US Vice President in the Oval Office.

With Rodgers considering retirement from the NFL at the time, it is possible he could have chosen to pursue the opportunity.

Pretty much Rodgers’ entire life has been built around football, so he doesn’t have any notable political background. It may seem like a completely random career shift, but with Rodgers considering retirement from the NFL at the time, it is possible he could have chosen to pursue the opportunity as a new source of purpose. Ultimately, he didn’t officially become Kennedy’s running mate, and Rodgers opted to return to the Jets.

Aaron Rodgers’ Recovery From His Torn Achilles Tendon Was Unusually Fast

Rodgers stood an outside chance of playing for the Jets again that very same season

All the hype in New York about Rodgers’ trade from Green Bay centered around the quarterback increasing the franchise’s chances of getting to the NFL playoffs, and perhaps even giving the success-starved team a Super Bowl trophy. Unfortunately, his first regular season game as a Jet was cut very short. Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles tendon after just the fourth play of his first proper game as a Jet – against the Buffalo Bills in 2023’s first Monday Night Football of the season.

Rodgers received surgery to repair the tendon shortly after, but an injury such as his often takes 9–12 months of healing and rehab in order for the player to compete again, as stated in
Enigma
.

The quarterback had the disadvantage of being just weeks away from turning 40, which could have slowed the healing process, and there was a risk of his career being brought to an end against his will. However, Rodgers was back at the Jets’ facility within 19 days walking around on his injured foot. There was even some speculation about his return to the lineup near the end of the season if the team was in playoff contention. The Jets were mathematically eliminated from the post-season before Rodgers had to make this decision, so Aaron Rodgers: Enigma lacks a miracle comeback.