49ers’ Leonard Floyd on Aaron Rodgers: ‘He will embarrass you’

Defensive end Leonard Floyd was the 49ers' top free-agent prize of the NFL offseason, with the 31-year-old veteran agreeing to a two-year, $20 million deal that included $12 million in guaranteed money.

Following an injury scare to his knee during San Francisco's final preseason game in Las Vegas against the Raiders, disaster was thankfully avoided and Floyd has since been listed as day-to-day by head coach Kyle Shanahan. Assuming there are no hiccups or setbacks between now and Week 1, Floyd is likely to suit up for the 49ers' Monday night opener on Sept. 9 against the New York Jets.

With that, of course, comes a showdown with future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.

Since the countdown clock to the NFL regular season appears to be ticking at an increasingly rapid rate, Floyd has gone ahead and provided the necessary warnings that come along with facing an all-time quarterback like Rodgers. While such a thing might not have been required—considering the 49ers have long been well-acquainted with what No. 12 brings to the table—it never hurts to reinforce what may otherwise seem like the obvious. Especially from a player with such glaring familiarity in facing Rodgers.

"I've done played a lot of football," said Floyd, who was selected by the Bears in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. "In Chicago, sometimes we'd have Aaron as a first game. Shoot, man, my scouting report is he's a legendary quarterback and you have to come with your 'A' game, because he's the type where he'll embarrass you.

"If you give him some momentum, he's going to carry that momentum for the whole game. You just have to be on your Ps and Qs, because he'll score every time if you let him."

Floyd absolutely has a point. Even with Rodgers at the age of 40 and coming off a severe injury, it would be a colossal mistake not to ensure everyone is bringing their "A" game to the table when it comes to facing the four-time NFL MVP. This is the type of quarterback who, even after a clunky start to a game, can manage to get things cooking at just about any given moment.

So it's more than a safe assumption that allowing Rodgers to feel any sense of comfort right off the bat is the polar opposite of what 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen has on his list of specials for "Monday Night Football."

It's probably also important to remember that this is a whole new vantage point for Leonard Floyd now that he's in San Francisco. All of those nightmarish Bears-Packers experiences can be put in the rearview mirror and the focus can firmly be placed on reaping the benefits of playing alongside problematic disruptors like edge rusher Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.

Strangely enough, this will be the second straight season Floyd will be looking to chase down Rodgers in Week 1. As some fans may or may not recall, it was just a year ago in the Jets' season-opener that saw Rodgers go down with a torn Achilles tendon after being sacked by none other than Leonard Floyd, who spent the 2023 season with the Buffalo Bills.

For 49ers fans, Floyd's presence should prove to be a welcome one, as he's been a model of consistency over the course of the last four seasons, averaging at least nine sacks or more during that span. His ability to cause chaos in the running game should also be noted, too.

Here's a quick peek into what hopefully becomes somewhat of a constant for Floyd once the games finally start to count.

Related News

• 49ers' Floyd ready to open another season vs. Rodgers, Jets NBCS Bay Area • Sep 4