The news of Aaron Rodgers returning to Green Bay broke Tuesday morning while Fox Sports host Nick Wright was live on the Dan Patrick Show, and Wright was less than thrilled.
As Patrick’s producer Paul Pabst revealed Rodgers’ fate, the look of anticipation deflated from Wright and was quickly replaced by a look of disgust.
“This is such a joke,” Wright said after learning Rodgers would remain the Packers’ quarterback. “Such a joke, the whole thing.”
Nick Wright (@GetNickWright) was on the air with DP when the news about Aaron Rodgers returning to Green Bay broke.. Here was their reaction. #Packers pic.twitter.com/KXgpGboz0L
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) March 8, 2022
Patrick, who was not nearly as affected by the news as Wright was, asked the First Things First host why Rodgers returning to Green Bay was a joke?
“Because the whole thing was about money?” Wright said. “This whole dance and I’m going to go host Jeopardy! and I’m on a self-actualization [cleanse] and they got rid of (Jake) Kumerow and they don’t respect me…the whole thing was so he could make $50 million?”
Pat McAfee was first to break the news about Rodgers Tuesday morning and it was piggybacked by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport who announced the quarterback was lured back to the Packers with a four-year $200 million contract. But the dynamic duo of McAfee and Rodgers pushed back on Rapoport’s report of a $200 million deal, with the quarterback himself calling the report “inaccurate.”
Rodgers may not have signed a $200 million contract on Tuesday, but that doesn’t mean he won’t eventually sign the $200 million contract reported by Rapoport. While we don’t know the finalized terms of the deal, we do know Rodgers will be under center for the Packers next season.
The MVP quarterback’s future in Green Bay was harped on for nearly 11 months, beginning with the claim from Adam Schefter last year on NFL Draft Day that Rodgers wanted out. Since that report, the 38-year-old Rodgers has been linked to other NFL franchises and even retirement.
“This wasn’t a media creation,” Wright said. “The frustration was real. The flirting with retirement, the thinking he can go host Jeopardy! All that was real and then all of ‘I’m the most interesting man in the world because I read one Ayn Rand book,’ all that happened…and the end result is ‘Oh, I was never leaving, but I got the most money any player has ever gotten.’ Good for you.”
