4 days Ago By Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ryan Clark doesn't mince his words around Aaron Rodgers.And when it involves his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, he becomes especially protective.The Steelers' Super Bowl-winning safety got brutally honest again with how he feels Pittsburgh is handling the free agent situation around Rodgers.
"It makes me sick, to be honest," Clark said April 15 on ESPN's morning sports talk show "Get Up."While the former Green Bay Packers quarterback continues to be unsigned, it appears the Steelers are the front-runner to land the 41-year-old's services in 2025.Rodgers hasn't publicly committed to another season or commented much since the end of last season about his future.
But Pittsburgh appeared to pave the way to sign Rodgers after cutting ties with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, two of the team's quarterbacks last year. And Rodgers held a throwing session with a new member of the Steelers in recent weeks. Rodgers also had a widely reported six-hour meeting with Steelers management a few weeks ago at the team headquarters.
"Unless Omar, the general manager, Omar Khan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, has some sort of promise or some sort of lean on Aaron Rodgers believing that he is going to come back and play football and if he does make that decision he's going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler," Clark said. "I feel like this has been mishandled already."Clark added he believes the Steelers are being "held hostage" by a player who's "actually never done anything for you.
""What has Aaron Rodgers done in the last two years or since leaving Green Bay that says he should be afforded this type of time that says you should give him the sort of respect that keeps your franchise at bay?" Clark questioned. The Jets officially released Rodgers March 13. "It's been a bad play by the Pittsburgh Steelers already," Clark said.
Steelers Super Bowl champ Ryan Clark on Aaron Rodgers situation: “It makes me sick.” Says this has been a bad play by the Steelers. Total mishandling.
I couldn’t agree more. Watch for yourself. He’s so right.
pic.twitter.com/eeGKRiImgD— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 15, 2025Clark says the Steelers should give Rodgers a deadline.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said at the NFL league meetings in Palm Beach, Florida, in late March that there isn't an internal team deadline for Rodgers, per ESPN.Tomlin, at least publicly, isn't voicing concern about the uncertainty."I’m really comfortable being unsettled," Tomlin said.
Aaron Rodgers vs Ryan ClarkThis isn't the first time Clark had choice words for Rodgers.Clark took exception with Rodgers' comments he made last December on "The Pat McAfee Show" critical of sports media and how he believes it has changed over the years."It's all talk shows and people whose opinions are so important now and they believe they’re the celebrities now, they’re the stars for just being able to talk about sports or give a take about sports, many of which are unfounded or asinine," Rodgers said.
Rodgers added that "these experts on TV who nobody remembers what they did in their career."It didn't take Clark long to respond on ESPN's "First Take." He called Rodgers "arrogant to a point that's almost sickening" and a "fraud.
""Are people not supposed to be able to do their jobs?" Clark said. "And do their jobs in unbiased way and be honest about who you are as player because you feel like you had a better career than them? I don't agree to that."Aaron Rodgers news and rumorsIn other Rodgers news, Sports Illustrated reported this week that Rodgers made a pitch to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason.
Rodgers' idea, according to Albert Breer of SI, was to play a year with the Vikings and mentor young quarterback JJ McCarthy. McCarthy, the team's 2024 first-round draft pick, missed all of his rookie season with a torn meniscus but is looking to return to full health in 2025.The Vikings reportedly listened to Rodgers' offer but they are ready to give the keys to their offense to the 22-year-old McCarthy after also letting last year's starting quarterback, Sam Darnold, leave in free agency.
Aaron Rodgers pitch to the #Vikings was to have the “idea of making a one-year run at a Lombardi and tying it to being a willing mentor for McCarthy,” per @AlbertBreer via @SInow. “In the end, faced with all that, the Vikings found themselves emboldened to give McCarthy the..
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com/8FNUHyuSE0— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) April 14, 2025This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers: Ryan Clark blasts quarterback.
