However, we need to be honest here. His appearance on McAfee completely, totally, without question confirmed what many of us suspected. Despite saying he’s not trying to hold the NFL hostage, Rodgers seems to enjoy holding the NFL hostage.
The glee of Rodgers airing grievances was noticeable. The glee of trashing his old team the Jets was obvious. The glee of ripping the media, his favorite target, was there as usual. Rodgers spoke of flying across the country to meet with new coach Aaron Glenn and how the meeting lasted 15 minutes. Rodgers made it clear he paid his own money to fly there.
‘That was kind of strange…,” Rodgers said. “I think we are going to have this long conversation. I’ve flown across the country and 20 seconds in, he goes and he leans to the edge of his seat and says, ‘So, you want to play football?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m interested.’ And he was like, ‘We’re going in a different direction at quarterback.’
‘I was kind of shocked. Not shocked because I didn’t think it was a possibility, but shocked because I just flew across the country and you could’ve told me this over the phone.’
Rodgers told McAfee the Jets’ only concern was how the information would be released.
“I don’t give a (expletive) about the messaging. Why?” Rodgers said.
Could the Jets have told Rodgers over the phone they were releasing him? Sure. But if the Jets had done that, Rodgers would have blasted them for not delivering the news personally. They weren’t going to win.
And the Jets were right to be concerned about ‘the messaging’ because they knew Rodgers would blab about the meeting at some point. They knew he would attack them, and that’s exactly what happened.
I was willing to give Rodgers the benefit of the doubt on the time it’s taken for him to make a decision, which is months-long now. But in the McAfee appearance, something was clear: this was the same old Rodgers. The man who has never met a grievance he couldn’t embrace. The media, the Jets, anyone on his bad side.
“I don’t have sources,” Rodgers said on the show. “I don’t have people that are out there pushing narratives. I speak for myself. And it’s been nice to be quiet for the last few months. It’s funny how in that time period, how the (expletive) narrative goes (expletive) crazy, right? When I haven’t said a (expletive) word.
‘So there’s nothing to say. I just laid out where I’m at. There’s nothing else to report. There’s no other reason to be continuing to talk about me at this point. So time to turn the page, all those people that have made a lot of money slandering my name. You know, apologize for COVID, say your vax status and keep it moving.”
See what I mean? Same old Aaron.
How difficult would it have been for Rodgers to say these things before now? He could have released a statement. He could have gone on McAfee earlier. He didn’t.
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The reason he didn’t is because he enjoys this. He loves the fact that this year’s draft, in some ways, revolves around him. That he is a key to one of the most storied franchises in all of sports in the Steelers. He loves all of this so much. It fuels the part of him that always seems angry at something or someone.
Rodgers needs targets. Not just receivers at the end of a route but off the field. He needs something to lash out at. While simultaneously acting like he has no idea what’s being said about him, when he always seems to know in extensive detail.
There’s another aspect to all of this and it’s the black and gold elephant in the room. If you’re the Steelers, what about that interview is comforting? The Steelers likely have a full understanding of the personal issues Rodgers is talking about, but there is nothing about what Rodgers said on McAfee that is comforting.
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‘I’m open to anything and attached to nothing,’ Rodgers said. ‘Right now, my focus has been and will continue to be on my personal life and that’s what I’ve told coaches, there’s still conversations that are being had. So it’s all been very honest lines of communication.’
Maybe the Steelers privately have some sort of promise from Rodgers (or close to it) but at least publicly, Rodgers doesn’t seem committed to any team.
Again, I want Rodgers to be happy. His family the same. Whatever issue it is to end well. We all want that.
Yet the other Rodgers, the Rodgers who lives off of what we think of him, even though he constantly denies that, is ever-present. That Rodgers never seems to go away. Though the questioning of Rodgers by McAfee and others was amateurish at best, it did help shed some light on that one thing and how it hasn’t changed. One giant thing in particular.
He likes to make teams wait. Make the league wait. Make the draft wait. Make everyone wait.
So we wait.
