Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers and actress Shailene Woodley had just sparked romance rumors when Aaron went and shocked fans with an announcement: he “got engaged.” He dropped the surprise news during his acceptance speech as 2020 AP Most Valuable Player on Saturday (February 6).
“It’s an honor to win this award for the third time. 2020 was definitely a crazy year filled with lots of change and growth, some amazing memorable moments. 180 straight days of having my nose hair scraped, playing for very little fans or no stands the entire season,” he said, before revealing, “I got engaged.”
While Aaron didn’t specifically mention Shailene’s name, many are convinced that the two are now gearing up to walk down the aisle. But the question everyone seems to be asking is how and when they began striking up a romance.
But first, let’s go back a few months – back to when Aaron and Shailene were still dating other people.
Aaron had been dating former race car driver Danica Patrick, but split in July last year. Shailene had been linked to rugby player Ben Volavola, however, in an April 2020 interview with The New York Times, she revealed that they had split.
According to sources, Aaron and Shailene began spending a lot of time over the summer. And, after dissecting Aaron’s MVP speech, fans now have a theory about how the two met.
Among the people that Aaron thanked in his speech was Jodie Foster, who happens to be a huge Packers fan. Then, fans discovered that Jodie and Shailene worked together on a film called The Mauritanian.
Although it’s unclear if Aaron and Jodie actually know each other personally, it’s not unheard of for a celebrity to be friends with their fave athletes. Now, fans are convinced that the 58-year-old actress was the one who played cupid and introduced the two of them – which could be why he thanked Jodie in his speech.
But sources say no one predicted that their reported romance would take off so fast. Apparently, even those close to the couple were reportedly shocked by the engagement.
“This isn’t like Aaron at all,” a source close to the quarterback told People. “He’s usually so methodical about everything. I’m not saying he’s not a romantic, but he thinks things through. He’s analytical. He is very careful. He didn’t seem to be the type to get so serious after just a few months of dating, especially after the way things ended with Danica Patrick.”
“It’s a total whirlwind romance. … No one has gotten a ‘save the date’ card yet,” the insider adds. “I’m sure they’ll make plans, but they’re really being quiet about it for right now. That’s why this is such a surprise to everyone.”
“Now we realize that it was clearly a lot more serious than they told anyone,” another source tells the outlet. “All this goes to show that this must be a very special relationship for him and for her. So everyone wishes them happiness.”
It looks like when you know, you just know.
