Aaron Rodgers & Shailene Woodley's 'Surprise' Engagement Shows How 'Special' Relationship Is: Source

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Just days after Aaron Rodgers announced that he was engaged, those close to the 37-year-old Green Bay Packers quarterback say they were shocked to learn that he and actress Shailene Woodley got so serious, so fast.

"It was a surprise that they got so close so quickly," a source close to the athlete tells PEOPLE in this week's issue. "I mean, it really felt like one day he was with Danica Patrick, and then suddenly he was with Shailene. It happened super fast."

Rodgers and former race car driver Patrick split in July of last year after two years together, Patrick's rep confirmed to PEOPLE at the time. Woodley was last linked to rugby player Ben Volavola, whom she reportedly met in Fiji while she was filming the movie Adrift. She revealed that they had split in an April 2020 interview with the New York Times.

Insiders say that Rodgers and Woodley immediately clicked over the summer and began spending a lot of time together.

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"It was so fast that at first, we thought she was just a rebound," says the source close to Rodgers. "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."

RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Thanks His 'Fiancée' in NFL MVP Acceptance Speech: 'I Got Engaged'

While making a virtual appearance during the NFL Honors broadcast on Feb. 6, Rodgers gave his fiancée a shout-out as he accepted the NFL MVP award.

"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 the big news: "I got engaged."

Rodgers went on to thank his loved ones, including his future wife.

* For more on Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley's relationship, subscribe now to PEOPLE or pick up this week's issue, on newsstands Friday.

Just days before the NFL Honors event, multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE that Rodgers has been dating Woodley. One source told PEOPLE that Rodgers seems very happy with the 29-year-old Big Little Lies star.

"Now we realize that it was clearly a lot more serious than they told anyone," says the source to PEOPLE. "All this goes to show that this must be a very special relationship for him and for her. So everyone wishes them happiness."