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Chris Canty Really Has Stephen A. Smith Going on 'First Take'

Football is back in a big way.

Kyle Koster

Stephen A. Smith and Chris Canty have a difference of opinion.
Stephen A. Smith and Chris Canty have a difference of opinion. / First Take on X
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Aaron Rodgers needs a new team in order to continue his Hall of Fame career, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are among those that make the most sense.

Their star wide receiver George Pickens would love it and it's not hard to imagine Rodgers, even at 41, would be an upgrade over what the team received from the collective efforts of Justin Fields and Russell Wilson this past season.

So First Take discussed if the black and yellow would be a good fit for Rodgers on Thursday morning's show, with Chris Canty punctuating a point this way:

"I ain't saying Aaron Rodgers is washed, but if it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, then damn it, it's a duck."

Canty is certainly not the only person out there who believes Rodgers's best days are behind him. The "washed" moniker is done for effect. And it certainly had one on Stephen A. Smith, who needed several seconds to compose himself.

"You know, I really, really want to know what you drink when you wake up in the morning so I can avoid drinking some it," Smith replied.

Smith went on to argue that Rodgers could be much better once freed from the mess that is the New York Jets, who were besieged by chaos last season. Sure, Rodgers is not free of scrutiny, but the pundit argued that he's not the only reason things didn't go well. Plus, Mike Tomlin runs a much different and more successful organization, so there's reason for hope.

Canty was not done making television magic as his suggestion later that the Dallas Cowboys trade Micah Parsons sparked an even more animated reaction from Smith, and allowed Mina Kimes the chance to do some wonderful non-verbal acting as she waited for an opportunity to jump in that proved difficult to find.

It's great to see football discussion firing back up again and going all-out after the brief post-Super Bowl respite. With several more months to go until there's a meaningful game, there's ample opportunity for issues of the day to be hashed out with maximum entertainment value.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

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