Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo doesn’t run ESPN or The Pat McAfee Show, but if he did, there would be a ban on Aaron Rodgers until the New York Jets start winning.
The Aaron Rodgers-led Jets were supposed to be a story this season because they were supposed to be Super Bowl contenders. The 2-6 Jets, however, only remain a story because they’re a soap opera. Eventually, even interest in the soap opera will fade, and the Jets will be relegated to irrelevance.
But who wants to tell Rodgers?
Russo accepted the responsibility. Wednesday morning on ESPN’s First Take, Russo ranted about the Jets and their attention-seeking quarterback, making it very clear that he has no interest in seeing Rodgers appear on The Pat McAfee Show while he’s playing this poorly.
“I’ve had enough…The next time I hear Aaron Rodgers is when he gets back to .500. I don’t want to hear him on McAfee, I don’t want to hear him on our show. They’re 2-6.” – Chris Russo pic.twitter.com/lwf3K7l211
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 30, 2024
“I’ve had enough,” Russo said. “I’ll speak for all Jet fans. The next time I hear Aaron Rodgers is when he gets back to .500. I don’t want to hear him on McAfee; I don’t want to hear him on our show. They’re 2-6. They can’t get a play in on time…Enough of Aaron Rodgers. He has not played that great. The team is a complete mess; the franchise is a joke; they lost to Jacoby Brissett.”
“But here’s the point,” Russo continued. “You’re 2-6. Aaron, we’re not interested in your little concoction with drinks, ‘Have faith, go to the stadium with a smile.’ Enough already.”
Yeah, that’s probably not going to happen. As the losses mount, Jets fans will grow increasingly tired of Rodgers’ appearances on The Pat McAfee Show. But the Jets could lose out this season, and Rodgers would still be a draw with McAfee. Rodgers took four snaps for the Jets last season, which didn’t stop him from making weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show.
So, we shouldn’t be naïve enough to think a below .500 record will stop those appearances, even if it’s what Jets fans want.
If Russo landed Rodgers for a paid weekly spot on his radio show, would he want the Jets quarterback to back renege on the deal because of a putrid 2-6 record? Or would he expect Rodgers to keep calling in to take his lumps? Eli Manning did paid weekly radio spots in New York when he was quarterbacking the Giants.
Imagine Russo’s reaction if Manning backed out of those interviews because the Giants were losing.
Rodgers’ appearances with McAfee are admittedly different. The platform is bigger, and the content doesn’t always stick to sports. But it’s unfair to ask Rodgers or McAfee to put their polarizing conversations on hold solely because the Jets are miserable.
