Shannon Sharpe let Aaron Rodgers have it on Undisputed when criticizing the Green Bay Packers last week.
Shannon Sharpe may be leaving Undisputed soon, but his criticism of former Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers is irrefutable.
While they will be teammates for life in the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day soon, Sharpe made it abundantly clear what side of the divorce he is on in the Rodgers/Packers breakup. Sharpe not only won three Super Bowls in his hall of fame career with the Denver Broncos and the Baltimore Ravens, but his older brother Sterling is a Packers legend prior to his career sadly being cut short.
Sharpe's argument against Rodgers is that his ego may be out of control. No doubt about it, Rodgers has become increasingly egocentric in the final years leading up to his 40th birthday. He wanted different things, and the Packers wanted to move on. Thus, Jordan Love will be the Week 1 starter this season, while Rodgers landed with the New York Jets after being traded over there.
Yes, what Sharpe told his FS1 colleague Skip Bayless about Rodgers the other day is damning.
I would love nothing more than for the Packers and Rodgers to completely move on from this, but they were synonymous with each other for the better part of two decades. I get it. Divorce sucks…
Shannon Sharpe roasts Aaron Rodgers over his Green Bay Packers criticism
Look. It needed to end. This working relationship was good while it lasted, but it was totally cooked by last season. Rodgers is a free spirit, while Green Bay is one of the most tradition-laden franchises out there in professional sports. Something had to give. Whether it be ayahuasca trips, or living in total darkness for the better part of a week, Green Bay just decided that it had enough.
As long as everybody involved kind of understands the same thing, then I think it will be okay for both parties. Green Bay has to accept that Rodgers will have success with the Jets, probably right away. His arrival in Florham Park probably transforms Gang Green into a top-four team in the AFC overnight. As for the Packers, well, this could be a challenging year for them with Love taking over.
While we did see the 2022 Seattle Seahawks massively overachieve in their first season without Russell Wilson, that's probably the ceiling for what the 2023 Packers could be. They do benefit from playing in a winnable division, but the Detroit Lions are building something special and the Minnesota Vikings are a well-run operation. The Chicago Bears hired Kevin Warren, so good luck!
I can understand why Sharpe has so much beef with Rodgers in this breakup. The Packers were great to his older brother and have been a model of sustained success for the better part of 30 years. Sharpe played for two well-run organizations in Denver and Baltimore. While the Ravens continue to be well-run, the Broncos are in the midst of their worst stretch to date as a franchise.
Some of the frustrations Rodgers has with the Packers are reasonable. He didn't have a running game to lean on the entire Mike McCarthy era. Only once did he have a top-tier defense. That team went on to win a Super Bowl in 2010. Green Bay is not a free agency destination. Rodgers was well aware of that, but he became exhausted in the franchise's reluctance to even participate.
Overall, these teams are heading in different directions, and there's nothing wrong with that. The Jets are in win-now mode, while the Packers are in wait-and-see mode. Green Bay did pull back a bit once Rodgers took over for Brett Favre in 2008. While I seriously doubt Love will make it three stars in a row, maybe he's a Jeff Garcia for Green Bay? That's not the worst outcome for this to be.
All I know is that if I were to ever talk to Sharpe on the phone, he would not pick up my FaceTime.