SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — The NFC Championship is just four days away as the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers get ready for the big day.
The game was set up after the Niners cruised past the Minnesota Vikings and the Packers defeated the Seattle Seahawks last week.
Green Bay’s veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers hopes to advance to his second Super Bowl. But first, the Chico native will have to return to his home state to beat the team he once dreamed of playing for as a kid.
Growing up in the Northern California city, Rodgers was a die-hard Niners fan. He played college football at UC Berkeley for two years before entering the NFL Draft in 2005.
After an impressive junior season at Cal, Rodgers was confident he would be picked early in the draft and even land a position playing for the team he grew up watching — the San Francisco 49ers.
The Niners had the No. 1 overall pick that year, but instead drafted quarterback Alex Smith from Utah.
Rodgers was the 24th overall pick by the Green Bay Packers and well, that story is still being written.
Rodgers was asked Wednesday if he ever thought or dreamed about playing against the 49ers for a trip to the Super Bowl.
His response:
“I usually dreamed about playing for the 49ers as a kid,” he said. “But obviously that thing passed a long time ago. But I do remember some great games over the years between the Niners and the Packers. A couple in this situation — NFC Championships, just one.”
Even though Rodgers moved more than 2,000 miles away from home, the 36-year-old has always been vocal about where he comes from.
He raised awareness to those affected by the Camp Fire in Northern California. The 2018 fire killed 85 people, burned more than 150,000 acres and destroyed more than 18,000 buildings over the course of 17 days — making it the most destructive and deadly wildfire in California history.
He frequently took to social media to share messages regarding the fire. The Super Bowl XLV MVP has used his platform to raise awareness and money for recovery efforts.
And earlier this season, he partook in the 2019 “My Cause My Cleats” campaign where players around the league wear custom cleats to showcase the causes that are important to them.
Rodgers chose the North Valley Community Foundation to bring awareness and show support to those affected by the fire.
With #ParadiseStrong and #ButteStrong on his feet, Rodgers and the Packers defeated the Redskins by a final score of 20-15.
All emotions aside, the QB is focused on one thing — walking out of Levi’s with a win.
The winner will head to South Beach for Super Bowl LIV and face the winner of the Titans-Chiefs matchup in Miami.