Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was roasted by comedian Shane Gillis during the ESPYS opening monologue.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has found himself in the headlines a lot this offseason, mostly due to his own doing. However, the four-time NFL MVP was in them once again involuntarily during comedian Shane Gillis’ opening monologue at the ESPYS.
Following a joke about President Donald Trump wanting to deport New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto, Gillis made reference to Rodgers’ aversion to the COVID-19 vaccine, stating he didn’t want to take it because “he predicted that it would be bad for him.”
“And then he joined the New York Jets,” Gillis said. “So maybe he wasn’t right about everything.”
Rodgers’ two-year stint with the Jets was far from a success. He suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon rupture on just his fourth offensive snap of his debut in 2023. Then in 2024, he led New York to a very disappointing 5-12 finish.
However, the Steelers are banking on Rodgers still having some good football left in him. Luckily, Rodgers’ 2024 campaign wasn’t all bad.
The 41-year-old completed 368 of 584 passes (63%) for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Those are better numbers than quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields’ combined for last year — 3,588 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Rodgers seems to have infused Pittsburgh’s offense with some much-needed optimism heading into the season, too. Following his workout with several of the team’s playmakers in Malibu, wide receiver Calvin Austin III couldn’t help but praise his new quarterback.
“His mindset is, ‘We’re going to do this because I know what the defense is gonna do and they don’t wanna do this.’ You see that experience, and playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback, it’s gonna be special. Sometimes, you can be given too much,” Austin said. “But he lets you play football.”
Only time will tell if Rodgers’ tenure with the Steelers will work out, but he’ll have to hope it does if he would like to try to avoid ending up an another monologue next year.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Gets Roasted at ESPYS
