There are two former Green Bay Packers receivers in FS1’s daytime studio show lineup, and both keep ripping Aaron Rodgers.
In the mornings, James Jones is a full-time panelist on Breakfast Ball, where he offered up the take heading into a big Thursday Night Football matchup with the Houston Texans at home that the New York Jets should consider benching Rodgers if he lays another egg.
“You’ve gotta consider everything,” Jones said Thursday morning. “Like, should Aaron Rodgers play another game this season if they lose? Put the young boy (Jordan) Travis in there … the Packers are doing phenomenal with Jordan Love. You were supposed to come to the Jets and change this thing around. Everything is on the line for Aaron Rodgers, and you’re about to lose seven straight? And you are one of the main reasons?”
Jones insisted Rodgers is his “dog” and that he would defend him “all day, every day,” but it certainly didn’t sound like it.
.@89JonesNTAF says the Jets should consider benching Aaron Rodgers if they lose tonight 👀 pic.twitter.com/rANTVqIFoD
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) October 31, 2024
To his credit, Jones has mostly been on Rodgers’ side since joining the media. Jones interviewed Rodgers for NFL Network early on in his media career and spoke up repeatedly during Rodgers’ last days in Green Bay to defend his former quarterback.
On Breakfast Ball, Jones often sings the praises of Rodgers as a tactician in the pocket and a brilliant football mind.
Does Jones’ rant about Rodgers ahead of TNF change all that?
We implore athletes to be unbiased and critical as talking heads all the time, and Jones was clearly giving an honest opinion here. But that doesn’t change the fact that Jones changed his tune from his constant defense of Rodgers for years.
In the afternoons on FS1, it’s much harsher. As a recurring guest on First Things First, Greg Jennings rarely holds back while giving takes on Rodgers. And he certainly doesn’t stop the show’s star, Nick Wright, from bashing the Jets QB every chance he gets.
In one of his first appearances on FTF, Jennings called Rodgers selfish for playing hardball with Green Bay over a new contract.
“Aaron Rodgers has been a very selfish guy. … I go back to personal experiences. His words to me were, ‘don’t be that guy.’ All of a sudden, it’s about the money.”
— @GregJennings on reports that Rodgers wants to be NFL’s highest-paid player: pic.twitter.com/UWYIoNZVUR
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 25, 2022
Long before that, Jennings popped up on First Take on ESPN to criticize Rodgers.
The past two years, the lid has come off on Rodgers criticism in the media. The man has become a constant punching bag, much of it well-earned through his appearances on fringe podcasts and the way he stokes the flames in interviews.
One of Rodgers’ most vocal and consistent critics is Wright. On a near-weekly basis, Wright tees off on Rodgers’ character and on-field performance. Given that Rodgers hasn’t been an elite quarterback in years, Wright has had ample opportunity to crush him.
In late 2023, as Rodgers hinted at a historically quick return from his torn Achilles tendon, Wright called the quarterback “the most disingenuous athlete of my lifetime.”
Far from defending his former teammate, there was Jennings, laughing and shrugging along.
“Aaron Rodgers is the most disingenuous athlete of my lifetime.”
— @getnickwright breaks down Rodgers’ decisions this season in 135 seconds: pic.twitter.com/0oaXmGYNdI
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) December 27, 2023
Again, Jones and Jennings are doing what audiences want from athletes in media. Rather than protecting their buddies or bringing an agenda on-air, fans want to hear what the guys they used to watch compete really think about sports.
It would be pretty hard to come on FS1 in 2024 and strongly defend Rodgers as a cultural figure, a leader, or a player.
But Jones and Jennings are two of the only former Packers in the media. The other leading example is A.J. Hawk, who brought Rodgers into The Pat McAfee Show orbit and is a staunch defender of the QB. On FS1, the discussion is far more pessimistic.