On Thursday, Aaron Rodgers spoke for the first time during his free agency saga – one that has dominated headlines regarding the Steelers’ offseason. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers wanted to clear up some of the rumors he’s hearing about himself.
Steelers insider Brooke Pryor was not a fan of what Rodgers had to say. Pryor spoke to Mark Bergin on the Bleav in Steelers podcast Friday and had some harsh words for the Steelers’ potential 2025 starter.
“While Aaron Rodgers didn’t say a whole lot about his future in that interview, it revealed a lot of things that, to me, would be red flags if I’m the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Pryor said. “He has no problem throwing grenades on his way out the door. That it is all about him, always. That he doesn’t owe anybody anything. And that’s fair. He is not a Pittsburgh Steeler. He’s not under contract. But he’s sending mixed signals.”
The “grenades” Pryor refers to are the comments he made about the Jets organization. Aaron Rodgers was clearly unhappy with the way things went down, and it was one of the first things he decided to talk about with McAfee. New head coach Aaron Glenn and the Jets had Rodgers fly out on his own dime, and only spoke with Rodgers for a few seconds before letting him know they planned to move in a different direction.
This whole situation is weird. For one, the Jets might have not wanted to disrespect a veteran like Rodgers by informing him of their decision over a phone call, which Rodgers joked the conversation could have been instead. Rodgers’ frustration also makes sense, though. Flying across the country for a 15-second conversation isn’t a pleasant experience.
Either way you look at it, Rodgers did throw some shade on his former team. Pryor thinks that’s a bad look, and she’s not wrong. If things go wrong in Pittsburgh, would Rodgers talk about the Steelers in a similar way?
There’s a new regime in New York, so they deserve time to establish themselves. If we’re being realistic, though, the Steelers have been a better-run organization than the Jets for decades. Maybe throwing grenades at the Jets wasn’t the best idea, but Rodgers would be joining a Steelers team which definitely wouldn’t have treated his exit the same way.
It’s fair for Rodgers to make things all about him for now. It’s his first time going through the free agency process, after all. However, if the Steelers bring him in, he’ll have to mesh into the locker room. The Steelers will hope their potential era with Rodgers goes better than his time in New York did.
