What Happened to Aaron Rodgers?
His descent from eccentric to curmudgeon to conspiracy theorist? It traces back to one game.
Disclaimer: As a diehard, lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, my affinity for Aaron Rodgers has been rather nil (see 2014 and 2016 playoffs). With that out of the way...
When the Cowboys and Green Bay Packers tangle again this Sunday in the NFL postseason, the ghost of Aaron Rodgers will float harmlessly above AT&T Stadium.
Gone, but surely not forgotten.
Still, it's hard to escape the specter these days of Aaron Charles Rodgers. Sure, he's been out there for years - cultivating famous girlfriends, peddling State Farm life insurance, winning a single Super Bowl.
And of course, creating the eccentric character of "Aaron Rodgers," playing the lead role in a fairly harmless reality show. ESPN did a pretty good job four years ago in outlining plenty of examples of his eccentricities.
Over time, however, there's been a noticeable change in demeanor.
After taking over for Brett Favre in Green Bay and winning that single Super Bowl in 2010, Rodgers was the happy-go-lucky eccentric. But gradually, over several years, Aaron the Eccentric devolved into Aaron the Curmudgeon. Why?
Let's go back to that single Super Bowl he won. The problem? The word single.
Each year removed from that trophy, criticism of Rodgers built up. The stunning playoff wins over Dallas in '14 and '16 briefly stemmed the tide, but by the end of the decade the criticism entered full-rumble mode - eventually costing Mike McCarthy his job.
But the rumble remained. The unconditional adulation did not.
Enter the Covid Age in 2020. Rodgers discovered quickly that he could find the adulation he missed from an audience ready and willing to embrace him. As long as he espoused Conspiracy 101 myths as facts, his newfound audience would never criticize him.
This new “Aaron Rodgers” reality show is no longer harmless. People holding these beliefs showed on Jan. 6, 2021, what they are capable of doing.
And Pat McAfee now must bear the brunt of cultivating this audience. McAfee has thrived on thumbing his nose at convention. After all, an NFL punter is not supposed to have a career like this. That’s the main reason I’ve mostly enjoyed McAfee’s stints on WWE, ESPN and other media - the dude has never taken himself too seriously.
But go check his Twitter (X) post when he announced that Rodgers would no longer appear on a weekly basis during the playoffs. He very plainly expressed fatigue with the controversy involving Rodgers. I lost count in the comments section when the words “woke” and “sellout” were used to castigate McAfee.
And it's no coincidence that, a day later, Rodgers was back on Pat's show to conveniently discuss the retirement of Bill Belichick.
Good luck, Pat. Decide whether you want to fan or extinguish the fire you started.
As for Rodgers? He said he was certain the media was ready to cancel him.
One can only hope.