The classic rom-com “When Harry Met Sally” introduced the concept of the “transitional person,” a man or woman you casually date while on the rebound after ending a long-term relationship.
Some people close to Aaron Rodgers thought actress Shailene Woodley was playing this transitional role in his life, according People. A source close to the Green Bay Packers quarterback said his friends assumed his relationship with Woodley was just a “temporary fling” in the aftermath of his high-profile breakup from Danica Patrick last July.
These friends were almost as surprised as his fans to learn this past weekend that Rodgers, 37, and Woodley, 29, had become engaged and that they “can’t wait to get married,” according to another report by E! News.
“It was so fast that at first, we thought she was just a rebound,” the source told People about Rodgers and Woodley. “There was no way this could be so serious. Everyone thought it was a casual thing because that’s what he was telling everyone, even when it was clearly not a casual thing.”
Up until last week, it wasn’t widely known that Rodgers was dating anyone since his split from Patrick. He and the retired race car driver broke up in July after a very public and seemingly intense, marriage-bound two-year romance.
But news emerged last week that Rodgers had long since moved on with Woodley. E! News reported that the former Cal Bears football star had been carrying on a “low-key,” long-distance relationship with Woodley for an unspecified period of time.
Then came Rodgers’ surprise announcement Saturday night that he and Woodley were getting married. In his virtual acceptance speech after being named the NFL’s most valuable player for the third time, Rodgers said, “I got engaged.” He also said “2020 was definitely a crazy year filled with lots of change and growth, some amazing memorable moments.”
MVP #3 for @AaronRodgers12 🏆🏆🏆 #NFLHonors @Packers pic.twitter.com/RU48Yh16Bc
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2021
According to People, many close to Rodgers were caught off guard by the news.
“It was a surprise that they got so close so quickly,” the source told People. “I mean, it really felt like one day he was with Danica Patrick, and then suddenly he was with Shailene. It happened super fast.”
In “When Harry Met Sally,” Meg Ryan’s Sally explains that “the transitional person” helps you gain emotional footing and get back into the dating game after a difficult breakup, but the transitional person isn’t supposed to be “the one,” the person you fall in love with and marry.
Insiders told People that Rodgers and Woodley began dating in the summer and “clicked.” It’s not clear how it became more than a “casual thing.”
“Now we realize that it was clearly a lot more serious than they told anyone,” the People source said. “All this goes to show that this must be a very special relationship for him and for her. So everyone wishes them happiness.”
Soon after Rodgers’ reps confirmed in July that he and Patrick and split, sports gossip site TerezOwens.com also reported rumors that he had begun seeing Woodley. The site said Rodgers and Woodley seemed “quite cozy” during a trip to Lake Tahoe, with a tipster suggesting that Rodgers may have left Patrick for Woodley after Patrick introduced him to the actress.
Patrick was said to be “quite devastated” by the betrayal, according to TerezOwens.com, one of the first sites to reveal that Rodgers and Patrick were dating in December 2017.
Many thought that Rodgers had finally found his perfect partner in Patrick after his three-year relationship with film and TV star Olivia Munn ended in 2017. That relationship was reportedly tested by Rodgers’ Chico-based family who told him “they didn’t trust (Munn) and didn’t think she was with him for the right reasons.”
Rodgers and Patrick seemed destined to become a new royal sports couple because they shared backgrounds as rich, famous and successful athletes. They also had bought a $28 million mansion together in Malibu, Patrick said they had talked marriage, and Rodgers regularly praised her on Instagram and called her a calming influence on his life.
But now Rodgers can’t wait to marry Woodley, E! News is reporting.
A source explained to E! News how Woodley definitely was not Rodgers’ transitional person. This source also discounted the idea that their engagement came as such a surprise.
“They had a very intense connection from the beginning,” the source said. “They both knew early on that it was something special and different from what they had experienced in other relationships. It’s a quick engagement, but for those that know them, it didn’t come as a surprise.”
The source added that the couple’s relationship wasn’t entirely long-distance, saying that they “lived together” throughout the fall in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
“She is very supportive of his career and embraced his life in Green Bay,” the source said. “Even though she has her own career and life, she wanted to be there with him. Over the next year, they plan to spend some time traveling and enjoying a warmer climate.”
