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Bachelorette Contestant Jordan Rodgers ‘Plotted’ to Become the Next Bachelor

JoJo Fletcher may be headed for heartbreak.

Several sources reveal in the new issue of Us Weekly that Jordan Rodgers, the current frontrunner on The Bacheloretteinitially went on the ABC dating show to advance his career — not to woo the 25-year-old Dallas real estate developer. 

Related: Watch With Us: Stay Up to Date With 'Bachelorette' News

Ever since the 6-foot-1 third-string quarterback, 27, was cut by the Miami Dolphins in 2014, Rodgers — the brother of Green Bay Packers player Aaron Rodgers — has dreamed of a high­ profile life. “He knew football wasn’t going to work out,” says a Rodgers source, “and he wants to be famous desperately.” 

Related: PHOTOS: 'The Bachelorette' Season 12: Meet JoJo Fletcher's Bachelors!

The Chico, California, native, who moved to Nashville and took a job in business development for a sports-medicine company, parlayed his brief NFL gig into a bit part in 2015’s Pitch Perfect 2. After that, he set his sights on the small screen. “Originally, Jordan wanted to go on The Bachelorette to become the Bachelor,” reveals a Rodgers friend. “That was his goal.”

Jordan and JoJo on The Bachelorette.
Jordan and JoJo on ‘The Bachelorette.’

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Turns out Rodgers already had an entrée into the world of hot tubs and roses: an acquaintance who worked on the series. That connection helped get him on the final list of 26 men, according to a Rodgers friend. “He plotted this,” says the Rodgers source. Producers never suspected his heart might not be in it. “When they were casting him,” according to a show insider, “they thought he was there for the right reasons.”

He certainly wasn’t interested in a future with the show’s original star. Bachelorette producers first chose Bachelor Ben Higgins’ castoff Caila Quinn to headline. “Jordan wasn’t stoked when it was Caila. He had no desire to date her,” says the friend.

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When the official Bachelorette announcement came on After the Final Rose in March, producers made a last-minute switch, despite the fact that Quinn had already taped some segments. According to his friend, “Jordan was excited when he found out it was JoJo.”

Once taping began, Rodgers’ motive changed. “In the beginning, yes, Jordan went on the show for his career,” says the friend. “But then it 100 percent switched. He was really into JoJo. He definitely fell in love with her.” 

Still, doubt nagged at Fletcher. “JoJo feels like Jordan is out of her league, for some reason,” according to a show insider. “Even though he says he’s falling for her, JoJo is concerned that he’s not as into her as she is into him.”

For more on Fletcher and Rodgers’ relationship, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on stands now!

Watch Christina Garibaldi, Ian Drew and Jamie Blynn dish on this story during Us Weekly’s Facebook Live News Update.

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