Nick Wright slams Aaron Rodgers on "First Things First." Screengrab: “First Things First.”
FoxNFLBy Sam Neumann on

There’s no love lost between Nick Wright and Aaron Rodgers.

The First Things First host has often targeted the New York Jets quarterback, having previously challenged him to a debate. He has also labeled Rodgers a “malignant, dangerous force” and “the most disingenuous athlete of my lifetime.”

If we had to guess, it’s more likely Rodgers will be on Tucker Carlson or Joe Rogan’s show than Wright’s. But that hasn’t stopped the FS1 personality from going after Rodgers, this time labeling him a “phony,” as the 40-year-old quarterback is one of two players skipping New York’s mandatory minicamp.

Pat McAfee made it more of a referendum on the Jets, but it’s still an unexcused absence, regardless of whether he cleared it with the team or not. While it’s not generally viewed as a big deal internally according to SNY’s Connor Hughes ,it paints a picture of Rodgers prioritizing other things more than football and his teammates at this current juncture.

And Wright was having none of that.

“I’m gonna give a prediction before I give my take,” Wright said. “When Rodgers talks, he’s gonna not so subtly scold Robert Saleh for those comments there. And Saleh, when he talks after Rodgers talks, will walk it back a little back. I think, to Aaron’s ears (those comments) are harsh. I think ‘unexcused’ sounds harsh. I think in Aaron’s world, ‘I gave you a heads up; what more do you want from me? I’m a busy guy with important things,’ which is why he’s such a phony.

“Guys, there’s other Jets not there. A player that never wanted to be a Jet that the Jets traded for. The problem with his previous team, Haason Reddick, was he wanted a new contract. The Jets thought, ‘Well we’re the Jets; he won’t want one with us.’ They traded for him, and he got there, and it’s like, ‘Nope, still want the contract, guys.’

“Every other notable player who isn’t at mandatory minicamp, we know why — money. Brandon Aiyuk, CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins doesn’t even have to be there because he hasn’t signed his deal, but that’s all money. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. I actually think it’s kind of fine…”

Wright indicated that for Rodgers, his actions speak a lot louder than his words, as he’s now the leader of a team who’d rather be elsewhere. And that isn’t just Wright’s words. The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported Wednesday that Rodgers will skip all of the mandatory minicamp this week “because he prefers to be somewhere else away from football.”

“This wasn’t a last-second event. This wasn’t a birth of a child,” Wright continued. “Those things can be excused. Those things we understand. This was ‘I have two things going on in my life today, I’m choosing the other.’ So, don’t then tell me that the thing that was second place this time is the most important thing going on with you, because it’s not.

“And in my opinion, that is not sustainable for a quarterback of an NFL team; it’s just not. It might be sustainable for the running back — maybe. It’s not sustainable for the veteran leader quarterback, especially when he lectured everyone how important it is keeping the nonsense out of the building.”

Wright didn’t stop there. He continued the conversation about Rodgers on his What’s Wright? With Nick Wright podcast.

“Sometimes you’re double-booked, and it forces you to choose either what’s most important or where you’re most needed, ” Wright said. “Aaron Rodgers is double-booked with the team that pays him $40 million to lead them to a Super Bowl that he’s played three snaps of NFL football for. First mandatory event of the offseason, and the something else took priority.”

[First Things First, Nick Wright]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann