Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s grudge against San Francisco is among the most talked about story lines in Sunday’s N.F.C. title game. Rodgers, 36, grew up a 49ers fan in Chico, Calif., and played college football at California. The 49ers had a chance to draft Rodgers in 2005, but opted instead to take quarterback Alex Smith with the first overall pick.
Smith, who quarterbacked the 49ers from 2005 to 2012, has had a fine career, but not the caliber of Rodgers, who has won a Super Bowl and appears destined to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. In that draft, Rodgers slipped to the 24th pick, where the Packers selected him. Rodgers has a 4-5 career record against San Francisco, including two losses in the playoffs.