Were Aaron Rodgers’ Pat McAfee show appearances the reason he was let go by the New York Jets? Well, it was certainly part of the reason.
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However, it can’t be the only reason since the two years Rodgers spent in New York weren’t ones he or the franchise would like to look back on. First, he snapped his Achilles tendon within four snaps of his debut season with the team. Then, he had the worst season of his NFL career amid lofty promises and even loftier expectations.
Rodgers was informed of the team’s decision to let him go in a meeting with new head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey — both of whom were hired in January. But what did that conversation look like?
The Athletic‘s Dianna Russini said it was all cordial. And yes, the Pat McAfee show came up.
“The conversation was friendly. There was no anger or bitterness. It was ‘Hey, look you know if you were to stay here here’s how we’d want it to go’,” explained Russini on the Rich Eisen Show.
Of course, how they’d “want it to go” could potentially mean limiting his Pat McAfee appearances. According to Russini, while his appearances on the show “never really bothered people in the building, the Pat McAfee stuff has come up [during talks]… they discussed that maybe that would look different for them in the future seasons if Rodgers were to stay…”
Rodgers’ Pat McAfee Show stints were also called out by Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson on Nightcap. Both felt his frequent appearances on the show highlighted his lack of commitment to his team. They seemed to think that while his sound bites from the show kept him in the headlines, his controversial takes and comments only made things difficult for the franchise.
Perhaps that is why Russini believes the new regime wants to “cut out the distractions; they want to get rid of the circus and clean this up”.
Rodgers’ Pat McAfee Show circus
The “new regime” at the Jets is, of course, Glenn and general manager Mougey. It’s not only Rodgers that has felt the brunt of the Jets’ terrible 2024 season. The first to go was head coach Robert Saleh and then followed a full sweep of the front office. Everyone knew Rodgers’ day was coming. It was just a matter of when.
Aside from his on-field incompetence, Rodgers’ penchant for grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons didn’t help his case. He used the Pat McAfee show to talk about football, vaccines, conspiracy theories, team dynamics, and more, often making headlines for his unfiltered takes.
He openly criticized the media, even going after ESPN (the same network that hosts the Pat McAfee Show); questioned COVID-related policies (years after the vaccine drama got over); and started beef with media personalities like Ryan Clark. However, the worst storyline of the year was when he made baseless allegations against known Rodgers detractor, Jimmy Kimmel.
Rodgers incorrectly and misleadingly suggested that the ABC late-night talk show host would be included in court documents related to late s** trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. Kimmel fired back, tweeting Rodgers’ “reckless words put [his] family in danger.”
What followed was a media firestorm that Rodgers never truly apologized for. Reports earlier this month suggested that the Jets banned Rodgers from making any more Pat McAfee show appearances if he wanted to stay in New York.
Does his exit mean he wasn’t on board or was it some other condition he didn’t like? Maybe we’ll find out during his next appearance on the show.
