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Former Steelers Champion Calls Out Aaron Rodgers

Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark criticized Aaron Rodgers' shortcomings with the New York Jets.

Jack Markowski

Oct 6, 2024; Tottenham, ENG; New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) in the 3rd Quarter against Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Tottenham, ENG; New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) in the 3rd Quarter against Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images / Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images
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Ryan Clark, a former Pittsburgh Steelers safety and Super Bowl champion, ripped quarterback Aaron Rodgers for his lack of success thus far with the New York Jets.

Clark, who is now an NFL analyst for ESPN, stated on Get Up that Rodgers doesn't deserve to have his name mentioned alongside other legends at the position such as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning given that he has yet to prove himself at the twilight of his career.

"The Aaron Rodgers that we knew was in a fantasy land and a figment of our imagination," Clark said. "The Aaron Rodgers that we mention with the names of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning was a catfish."

Rodgers was traded to the Jets in April 2023 after spending 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, where he won four MVP Awards and Super Bowl XLV, which coincidentally came against the Steelers during the 2010 season.

The future Hall of Famer played just four snaps last season before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury. At 40-years-old this year, Rodgers has led the Jets to a 2-3 record while throwing for 1,093 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions.

New York fired head coach Robert Saleh earlier this week and also stripped play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who worked with Rodgers in Green Bay.

Those moves don't reflect positively on the Jets or Rodgers himself given that this season was promised to vault the team into contention and help them break a 13-year playoff drought, the longest ongoing streak in the league.

Clark expanded on Rodgers' comparison to Brady and Manning given that they joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos, respectively, at the end of their own careers and immediately lifted up the rest of the organization, which is something Rodgers has yet to accomplish.

"The spirit, the reverence, the attention to detail, the respect of those organizations immediately was magnified by the addition of those two quarterbacks," Clark said. "That's not what's happened in New York."

There's still time left for Rodgers to live up to expectations and turn things around in New York, but the current outlook certainly isn't positive.

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Jack Markowski
JACK MARKOWSKI

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