Stephen A. Smith reacts to Aaron Rodgers suggesting 2025 will be final NFL season

Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month. During a Tuesday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the 41-year-old Rodgers said he is “pretty sure” the 2025 season will be his last.

Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl champion, will one day be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. ESPN‘s Stephen A. Smith, however, believes he has not been appreciated enough throughout his two-decade-plus career.

“I don’t mind the clarity at all. I appreciate the fact he’s expressing in his own way how annoyed he’s been that this is going to be it,” Smith said Wednesday on First Take. “The reality is — and I’ve said this on many occasions over the years — the only time I’ve ever had a problem with him is when he said he was immunized and wouldn’t acknowledge he took the vaccine. Just say you didn’t do it. That’s the only problem I’ve ever had with him. This is one of the greatest quarterbacks to have ever played the game. At a time, before Patrick Mahomes came along, we were talking about him as a talent at the quarterback position, as maybe the greatest ever.

“And then you look at people talking about him — I remember when his brother went on The Bachelor and was talking about his own brother, and obviously, people didn’t like his positions on things politically, and they used every excuse to get at him. It has been very annoying. And it has been intrusive, dare I say even in this day and age where every little excuse you can find to get at people, they’ve gone at him.”

Aaron Rodgers promises to keep low profile after NFL career is over

Rodgers promised that when he is done, you will not see much of him in the spotlight. As for this season, Rodgers said he is going to “empty the tank.” Rodgers has the opportunity to prove he can still perform while quarterbacking one of the league’s most historic franchises. Pittsburgh hopes he is the missing piece to winning its first playoff game since 2016. 

Smith said he appreciated Rodgers’ openness about his future. He added that Rodgers is telling the world to “kiss his ass.”

“So, I like the idea of, ‘Listen, this is it. I’m out after this. You won’t see me.’ He’s basically telling the world to kiss his ass, and I have no problem whatsoever because I think half the world deserves to hear that from him because I think not enough appreciation has been thrown in his direction. This brother was not good; he was great and for a long, long time,” Smith said. “Again, he wasn’t perfect. We can disagree with certain things, but to castigate him the way a lot of people try to, as opposed to appreciating the greatness this brother put on display on the football field, it was very disappointing.

“I get it, you lose home playoff games at Lambeau Field, certainly, you deserve criticism for that. And he can take that, but it’s a lot of personal stuff that’s been thrown at him. I love the fact he’s basically saying, ‘The hell with all of this. I’m gonna give it all I got and after that, I’m gonna go away and live my life.'”