Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently sparked rumors that he is angling for a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers next season with his recent comments and gesture toward Mike Tomlin. However, the veteran QB set the record straight before the speculations got out of hand.
It was headline news in Pittsburgh that you were gonna be a Steeler after last week
"I just speak the truth.. I think Cincinnati is pretty safe this week cause they gotta young calf & don't need the old bull" đđ ~@AaronRodgers12#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/Y0LmYMPl9S
â Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 5, 2021
In his latest appearance on the Pat MacAfee show, Rodgers denied the talks of him potentially pushing for a trade to the Steelers in 2022. He also clarified that what he said about Tomlin recently came from his respect and admiration for the Pittsburg coach and nothing more.
âI'm just speaking the truth,â Rodgers said, per Bleacher Report. âAsk me a question about Mike Tomlin I'm going to tell you how I feel about Mike Tomlin. If you want to take that and run with it and say I'm angling for my next team or something, I'm not. I'm just answering questions about my respect for Mike.â
To recall, in his previous talk with MacAfee, Rodgers showered Tomlin with a ton of praises. He also shared his love for Pittsburgh, especially because of the famous social media personality âPittsburgh Dad.â
âI have a ton of respect for Mike,â the Packers QB said of Tomlin before their Week 4 matchup last Sunday. âI think heâs a fantastic coach. I love the way that he leads. I love that way that he talks after the games. He always seems to keep things really even keel. Looks like heâs somebody that players love playing for.â
Nonetheless, what really ignited the speculations about Rodgers' potential move to the Steelers next campaign was his âspecial momentâ with Tomlin during their game on Sunday. Aaron Rodgers was caught exchanging a rather sweet look with Mike Tomlin, which the coach reciprocated.
What a moment between these twoâŠ
It feels destined to happen next season pic.twitter.com/4EXDL49SrS
â Nick Maraldo (@nickmaraldo) October 3, 2021
Former teammate and MacAfee's co-host AJ Hawk called Rodgers' gesture as some sort of flirting, but the Packers QB suggested that people are just overreacting as it was just him showing his admiration for the Steelers tactician.
"I'm a big Mike Tomlin fan & I have been for a long time.. I like the way that he speaks about his team & goes about his business" ~@AaronRodgers12 on the smirk off with Mike Tomlin on Sunday#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/qT1cQvsmdj
â Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 5, 2021
It's unlikely that the speculations will die any time soon, especially after the offseason drama Rodgers had with the Packers when it looked like he was done with the franchise. Nevertheless, it doesn't look like the veteran signal-caller wants to talk about his future at this point of the campaign.