Former Packers Legend Aaron Rodgers Voted ‘Most Annoying’ Player in NFL

Aaron Rodgers, who had a huge game in lifting the New York Jets past the New England Patriots on Thursday, is the most annoying player in the NFL and the Green Bay Packers are one of the most annoying teams.

Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after the Packers' season-ending loss to the Lions in 2022. It was his final game with Green Bay. / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – How annoying is Aaron Rodgers?

Even Green Bay Packers fans think he is the most annoying player in the NFL.

The Action Network commissioned a study to identify the most annoying teams and players in the NFL.

Rodgers was the runaway winner. In a survey of more than 3,000 NFL fans, Rodgers received 27 percent of the vote. Travis Kelce, the record-setting tight end of the Kansas City Chiefs, boyfriend of Taylor Swift and Pfizer spokesman, was next at 17 percent. Odell Beckham (10 percent), Patrick Mahomes (8 percent) and Dak Prescott (5 percent) rounded out the top five.

Rodgers, who was superb in beating the New England Patriots on Thursday night, is considered the most annoying player by fans from sea to shining sea. Fanbases from 24 of the league’s 32 teams voted for Rodgers – 23 outright and a tie between Rodgers and Kelce for Chargers fans.

The older the fan, the more annoying they found Rodgers, with 36 percent of fans 55-plus years old compared to 8 percent of fans between 18 and 24. Kelce (21 percent) was by far the most annoying player for young fans.

Rodgers won a Super Bowl and captured four NFL MVP awards with the Packers. Still, 34 percent of Packers fans who were surveyed selected Rodgers. Only fans of the Packers’ NFC North rivals, the Chicago Bears (43 percent), Minnesota Vikings (40 percent) and Detroit Lions (35 percent), found Rodgers more annoying than did Packers fans.

He also was the most annoying player for Patriots fans, with 32 percent before Rodgers routed their team on Thursday night.  

For all of Rodgers’ greatness, he became increasingly polarizing as the Super Bowl XLV championship receded further into the rearview mirror.

There was:

- His body language.

who reads lips pic.twitter.com/HDoxWuntY6

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 20, 2024

- His failure to win big games.

- His passive-aggressive criticisms of his coaches, Mike McCarthy first and then Matt LaFleur.

- His enormous contract.

- His desire to have a say in personnel decisions.

His stance on COVID and his questioning of the COVID vaccine – especially in the moment – perhaps were the last straw in turning Rodgers from hero to goat. He also made misleading comments about being “immunized.”

Darkness retreats and ayahuasca only further turned the tide against him. So, too, did his decision to skip offseason practices in 2022, which might have helped the team’s young receiver corps acclimate to the NFL.

Even Packers President Mark Murphy called Rodgers a “complicated fella.”

In June 2021, Murphy in his monthly column at Packers.com wrote:

“The situation we face with Aaron Rodgers has divided our fan base. The emails and letters that I've received reflect this fact. As I wrote here last month, we remain committed to resolving things with Aaron and want him to be our quarterback in 2021 and beyond. We are working to resolve the situation and realize that the less both sides say publicly, the better.”

After going 8-9 in 2022, the Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets before the 2023 draft. The deal – and, of course, the play of his successor, Jordan Love – helped the Packers quickly rebound.

The Jets hoped he’d be their savior but he suffered a torn Achilles in his first game of last season. Maybe he will meet the enormous expectations this year. After losing in Week 1, Rodgers beat the Titans – Green Bay’s opponent on Sunday – and the Patriots on Thursday night.

Rodgers was in vintage form against the Patriots. At halftime, Rodgers was 15-of-18 passing for 170 yards and one touchdown. He certainly was not annoying to Jets fans.

“Aaron Rodgers” chants are raining down out at MetLife Stadium 🔥

pic.twitter.com/jggQPuPtiD

— Fanatics Sportsbook (@FanaticsBook) September 20, 2024

If not for the lopsided score, he probably would have had his first 300-yard game since throwing for 341 yards and four touchdowns in a 45-30 win over the Bears in December 2021.

Meanwhile, the Packers were voted the fourth-most annoying team.

The Dallas Cowboys won that title in a runaway with 20 percent of the vote. The Philadelphia Eagles were next at 9 percent, followed by the Las Vegas Raiders at 8 percent, Packers at 7 percent and Steelers at 6 percent.

Predictably, the Packers were the most annoying team for fans of the Bears (41 percent), Vikings (32 percent) and Lions (28 percent).

The research was conducted by Research Without Barriers. The survey was conducted between July 3 and Aug. 5 and included a survey of 3,013 NFL fans located in the United States.

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