ESPN's Dan Graziano: Aaron Rodgers Is a Con Artist, Narcissist

The NFL analyst made his comments on 'Unsportsmanlike Radio'.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. / Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The New York Jets have stumbled to a 4–10 record and Aaron Rodgers's second year with the franchise may end up representing a step back from what they did in 2023 with a combination of Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian and Tim Boyle under center. But that doesn't mean they ever stray far from the center of the NFL commentary universe. Just yesterday The Athletic threw some coal into the fire by publishing a deep dive into the dysfunction at the top, with several eye-raising examples neatly pulled out for inspection.

While the story briefly deflected some attention away from Rodgers, who has been bolder on his criticism of ESPN during his weekly appearances on the Pat McAfee Show, figuring out what to do with the 41-year-old quarterback and deciding what to do at the most important position in sports remains near the top of the Jets' to-do list, along with finding new front office leadership.

ESPN's Dan Graziano reacted to the story and its fall out on Unsportsmanlike Radio on Friday morning and didn't mince words about the mercurial signal-caller.

"The Jets are in bigger trouble than I thought," Graziano said. "Because Aaron Rodgers is a con artist. He is a narcissist. He is self-absorbed to the absolute maximum. And if he has fooled you again, that's on you. If the Jets go back to Aaron Rodgers next year, they deserve what they get and it will not be good. They know this. They've lived it for the last two years."

Dan Graziano stuns ESPN 'Unsportsmanlike' with his rant about Aaron Rodgers.

"Aaron Rodgers is a con artist. He is a narcissist. He is self-absorbed to the absolute maximum. And if he has you fooled -- again -- that's on you." pic.twitter.com/8jiE6Gvavl

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) December 20, 2024

Rodgers is polarizing. It's harder to defend the juice he provides being worth the squeeze when he's accounted for four wins over two years. That is the calculus New York or any other team will have to consider when handing him the car keys in 2025. To be fair, he's played fairly well over the past few games and shown flashes of the player all Jets fans thought they would be getting.

Graziano's assessment may be correct. Rodgers may be all the things he's accused of being. The commentary is unquestionably personal but also extremely material to the conversation. Having it come against the backdrop of a war of words between the quarterback and various other ESPN personalities makes it more complicated. More than anything, it's a pretty good sign that the back-and-forth will continue.

Con artist is a loaded categorization. The difference between the Jets and the typical victim of a con artist, though, is that the organization had to know exactly what they were getting when they took a big swing on bringing a media circus into town. A neutral observer could be forgiven for not feeling particularly sorry for them and the situation they now find themselves in. There is a clear escape hatch and time will tell if they do cut bait and move into a different direction.

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