Aaron Rodgers has drawn serious interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants this offseason. The veteran quarterback has standing offers to join the teams and both the Steelers and Giants are willing to wait as Rodgers takes his time deciding on his NFL future.
But should the 41-year-old quarterback decide that he’s done playing and interested in making the leap to sports media, his prospects are bleak, according to Michael McCarthy of Front Office Sports.
Network executives and agents who spoke to FOS anonymously voiced concerns about Rodgers’ penchant for conspiracy theories and feuds, which they believe would make him a dicey choice for an on-air personality.
“Yes, he could be a great analyst. But he’s insufferable,” an unnamed source told Front Office Sports. Another added, “[Rodgers] needs an image rehab.”
Would Aaron Rodgers succeed in the broadcast booth?
While Rodgers hasn’t directly expressed an interest in a career change to broadcasting, he has slowly moved into the media spotlight. He began making regular appearances on The Pat McAfee Show in 2019. However, his presence on the show drew more attention after he was traded to the New York Jets.
Over the last season, Rodgers was embroiled in feuds with Jimmy Kimmel and Ryan Clark. Those controversies, combined with the Jets’ lack of success, led some to view his participation on the show as a distraction.
In some ways Rodgers would be the ideal broadcaster, given his unparalleled football knowledge and his ability to engage an audience, even if he’s primarily cultivating negative attention. But it seems networks don’t believe he’s worth the risk.
And networks have more options than ever before as sports media has become the go-to post-playing career path for many athletes. Tony Romo got the ball rolling on the recent trend, landing a $17 million a year deal with CBS, which soon became a 10-year, $180 million pact.
Then Tom Brady, as he always does, topped everyone else, inking a 10-year, $375 million contract to be FOX’s top color commentator. The deal made Brady the highest-paid NFL broadcaster and his $37.5 million per season salary is close to present-day high-end starting quarterback money.
Former NFL tight end Greg Olsen has also found success in the booth, although he was demoted to the second broadcasting team at FOX after Brady joined the network.
As for Rodgers, the timing isn’t right for a move into sports media at the moment – assuming he’s even interested in broadcasting. Fortunately, he still has the fallback option of being a professional quarterback. The Giants and Steelers continue to await his decision for the 2025 season.
The post NFL Rumors: Aaron Rodgers’ TV prospects aren’t great because he’s ‘insufferable’ appeared first on ClutchPoints.
