Rusty Weiss
ESPN heavyweight Michael Wilbon unloaded on his own network Tuesday morning, blasting the “breathless” obsession with Aaron Rodgers and declaring the 42-year-old quarterback “irrelevant” at this stage of his career.
Sheesh. Tell us how you really feel.
Wilbon Blasts ESPN’s Obsession With “Irrelevant” Aaron Rodgers
Appearing on First Take, the longtime Pardon the Interruption co-host didn’t hold back as the conversation turned to Rodgers’ reported return to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 22nd NFL season.
“He’s irrelevant,” Wilbon said. “He’s overstated — and by the way, I’m not talking about his career, no. Aaron Rodgers is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, a great quarterback for years. He’s irrelevant now. What makes him relevant now?”
“This network, talking about him every day, day in, day out, as if they’re hanging on and waiting for Patrick Mahomes three years ago.”
"I'm blaming this network, cause every time I turn on all of our shows, except one, I hear about Aaron damn Rodgers…I'm criticizing us…he's irrelevant" – Michael Wilbon pic.twitter.com/5rF6ImtvQD
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 19, 2026
Wilbon went further, directly calling out ESPN’s coverage.
“So all this breathless waiting on Aaron Rodgers, we’re gonna chronicle it every day. I’m blaming this network, because every time I turn on all of our shows — except one — I hear about Aaron damn Rodgers,” he added. “It makes it sound like I’m criticizing Aaron Rodgers, I’m not. I’m criticizing us.”
Rodgers’ Strong 2025 Season Makes Wilbon’s Criticism Controversial
The crux of Wilbon’s argument is that Rodgers is playing for a team that has little chance of success. But that underscores they were the AFC North champions last season, so yeah, they’re still kind of relevant. And the signal caller on a division champ … also relevant.
Rodgers isn’t above criticism, of course. Wilbon compared Rodgers unfavorably to legends still dominating in their 40s.
“He’s not LeBron James. He’s not Tom Brady. He’s not playing that way into his 40s,” Wilbon added.
But he’s still a newsworthy figure.
Rodgers, who led the Steelers to a 10-7 record and an AFC North title last season, is reportedly set to return despite questions about his age and declining mobility. The drama around his future — including endless speculation about retirement, potential trades, and his fit in Pittsburgh — has dominated ESPN airwaves for weeks.
In his first season with Pittsburgh at age 41, Rodgers started 16 games, threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only 7 interceptions.
Over 21 seasons with the Packers, Jets, and now Steelers, he has amassed more than 66,000 passing yards, 527 touchdowns against just 123 interceptions (a record 4.3 TD-INT ratio), a career passer rating of 102.2, one Super Bowl title (XLV, where he was MVP), four NFL MVPs, 10 Pro Bowls, and four First-team All-Pro selections.
That seems pretty relevant.
