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Former star NFL running back Marshawn Lynch offered kind words for his ex-Cal teammate, quarterback Aaron Rodgers, during an interview with Shannon Sharpe on his Club Shay Shay podcast.
Of note, Lynch said that Rodgers is the best quarterback he’s ever played with (around the 4:30 mark).
Lynch suited up alongside nine-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson from 2012-2015 and again briefly in 2019. The running back said in the same interview that he respected Wilson as a player and teammate.
He also told Sharpe a story about Rodgers coming to his defense during a 2004 spring game.
In short, Lynch (then a first-year player) got an opportunity to run with the starting unit despite the 1’s possessing a star at the position already in J.J. Arrington.
Unfortunately, Lynch ran in the wrong direction on his first play. It didn’t matter as Rodgers ended up handing the ball behind his back to Lynch, who turned it into a positive gain.
However, Lynch got chewed out by his running backs coach for running the wrong way to begin with. Rodgers backed up Lynch, though, by speaking to the coach and taking the blame for the mishap.
Lynch ended up having a fantastic career at Cal before moving onto the pros in 2007. The five-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro won a Super Bowl with the Seahawks en route to amassing 12,627 yards from scrimmage and 94 touchdowns.