It’s looking ugly for the New York Jets. Just ask Stephen A. Smith. And whining by Aaron Rodgers is unlikely to be productive. But Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young shared a harsh warning to Rodgers about blaming reporters.

Rodgers attacked reporters after the loss to the Steelers. He was asked what the Jets can do to improve he said the team needs to ignore the reporters and the media by stating, “Stop listening to you guys,” according to a post on X by Jets Videos.

Young said Rodgers made a mistake, according to Young’s comments on the Dan Patrick Show.

“It’s a three-ring circus,” Young said. “They’re all under the same tent, different rings. There’s the media, there’s the fans, and then there’s the game. You have to recognize everyone’s in it together, you have to. If you try to make enemies with one of the 3 rings it’s going to be painful. It’s a painful way to try to play and find bounty.”

The NFL is tough these days for Jets QB Aaron Rodgers

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws pass against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium.
Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Young went to say Rodgers shouldn’t be pointing fingers, anywhere.

“When you start to point fingers, at the media, it’s not worth it,” Young said. “You’ve got to stay away from that and it’s easy and it makes you feel good for a second but it’s a part of what we’re doing, do your job, and move on. If you want to ignore them, ignore them. But if you want to make it something, it makes it bigger. It’s a rebound.”

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It’s odd that Young should need to tell Rodgers these things. Also, it's weird Rodgers would make this kind of mistake at this stage in his career — which is the end, by the way.

Maybe Rodgers got away with things in Green Bay because of the small media market. Reporters there may not have felt the power to try to take him down. And one of the reasons for that came from the way Rodgers played in Green Bay. If a reporter took a shot at Rodgers, the quarterback would go out and throw for four touchdowns and nobody would support the negative comments.

But this works against Rodgers in New York. The media is brash, with an attitude. They don’t care to take shots at Rodgers. And now he’s not going to be able to respond with the same type of performances because he’s nearing the final games of his career and his team just isn’t very good.

To Rodgers’ credit, he acknowledged his part in the Jets’ woes after his media slap.

“Gotta be accountable,” Rodgers said. “I gotta play better. That’s the key. Find a way to run the ball better, so we can action pass.”

The Jets are in deep trouble at 2-5. It’s not inconceivable for them to turn it around with a softer part of the schedule coming up.