You can always count on ESPN's Michael Wilbon to be the voice of the unpopular opinion. Though when it comes to Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers, his latest hot take may not be all that spicy.
Appearing on First Take, Wilbon was asked about the recent news that Rodgers is returning to the Steelers for the 2026 season. But Wilbon dismissed the notion that Rodgers is worth talking about to begin with, calling the four-time MVP "irrelevant" and stating that he isn't a super athlete like LeBron James or Tom Brady and that there's no point expecting that he's going to become elite again.
“He’s irrelevant now. What makes him relevant now? This network talking about him every day, day in, day out, hanging on as if they’re waiting for Patrick Mahomes 3 years ago. He’s irrelevant. He’s not LeBron James. He’s not Tom Brady," Wilbon said.
Rodgers irrelevant?
A number of NFL fans certainly agree with Wilbon, asserting that he simply isn't the same quarterback that he was when he was with the Packers from the start of his career into his late-30s.
"No lies detected," one user remarked on X.
"No lies told. Dude fell off once he forced himself out of GB. lol," another wrote.
"This may be the best thing [Wilbon] has ever said," wrote a third.
© Scott Galvin-Imagn Images
But by the same token, Rodgers is the starting quarterback of a team that made the playoffs last year. Whether the Steelers reached the playoffs in spite of him or because of him and whether they went one-and-done because of him is up for debate, but the Steelers probably wouldn't even be in the discussion for relevant team in 2026 without Rodgers at the helm.
Therefore, whether he's an MVP-caliber player or not, simply by being a starting quarterback is he technically relevant to the wider NFL storyline this year.
Or is he?
