Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers unlikely to be full-time ‘Jeopardy’ host?

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Immediately prior to suggestions that Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was not happy with his organization and wanted to be traded, the reigning NFL MVP spent two weeks hosting “Jeopardy.”

Rodgers joined other celebrities in that of news media personality Anderson Cooper and former “Jeopardy” champion Ken Jennings in taking turn guest hosting the show. In reality, these are pretty much tryout to see who will replace the late-great Trebek in a full-time role.

Initially, it seemed like Aaron Rodgers had a real opportunity to become the full-time host. It’s something that he has gone on record indicating he wants. Hosting the legendary game show also wouldn’t interfere with Rodgers’ football schedule. Unfortunately for the future first ballot Hall of Famer, that might not be the case.

“Jeopardy” ratings tanked with Aaron Rodgers hosting

These numbers from Sports Business Journal (h/t Pro Football Talk) are not great when it comes to “Jeopardy” TV ratings with Rodgers hosting compared to other celebrities.

“Master contestant Ken Jennings and executive producer Mike Richards. Jennings, in a four-week run, averaged more than 10 million viewers per show for three of his six weeks, and between 9.75 million and 9.9 million for the other three. Richards generated 9.895 million viewers for one of his two weeks, and 9.729 million for the other.”

Meanwhile, Rodgers drew 9.193 million viewers per show in his first week hosting compared to 9.081 million in his second week.

As you likely already know, ratings are pretty much everything when it comes to networks and executive producers. Drawing roughly a million viewers less than the height of Jennings’ guest-host run is not great.

All the while, a recent poll of “Jeopardy” viewers indicated that 22% want Jennings to host compared to 16% for Rodgers.

In no way does this mean Rodgers is out as a full-time host of “Jeopardy.” Rather, it speaks to the complexities of him attempting to make it in the entertainment industry.

From a pure logistical standpoint, Aaron Rodgers prefers to be traded to either the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders or San Francisco 49ers. It’s not a coincidence that all three are west coast teams and “Jeopardy” is taped in Southern California.

Aaron Rodgers trade request: Latest updates

• According to oddsmakers, the Denver Broncos are now odds-on favorites (+140) to land Rodgers in a trade. The Raiders (+1000), Saints (+2000) and 49ers (+2000) are far behind. As for San Francisco, Rodgers thought he was headed back to Northern California on the eve of the 2021 NFL Draft. Once the 49ers selected Trey Lance No. 3 overall, that idea was thrown out the window.

• It was just recently that Rodgers took to ESPN to criticize the Packers in a public manner. To say that his take on the organization isn’t great would be an understatement. “It’s about character, it’s about culture, it’s about doing things the right way,” Rodgers told Kenny Mayne.

• Other reports suggest that Aaron Rodgers has been reaching out to opposing players in an attempt to recruit them to another team outside of Green Bay. These reports fit in with other suggestions that Rodgers told his teammates early during the 2020 season that he would not be with the Packers long-term. Obviously, Green Bay’s decision to trade up for fellow quarterback Jordan Love in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft has played a role in his resentment of the organization.

• Despite this, the Packers are still remaining firm in their unwillingness to trade the multi-time NFL MVP. The more Rodgers speaks out publicly and remains away from Green Bay during the offseason, the less likely it is that the Packers’ brass will be able to ride this out.