Among many other things during his interview on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers addressed the media speculation about his future. It also led him to a direct call-out of ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini, and he said he told Schefter to “lose my number.”
Schefter confirmed that text in a tweet. Then, he explained the lead-up to it.
On a SportsCenter Special to celebrate the start of the new NFL league year, Schefter shared an exchange he had with fellow ESPN reporter Dianna Russini. Schefter and Russini were working their sources to find out what was going on between Rodgers, the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets after Trey Wingo reported it was a “done deal” on Monday. That’s when Russini encouraged Schefter to reach out to Rodgers directly. So, he tracked down his phone number.
It’s safe to say Rodgers wasn’t having it.
“What happened was Trey Wingo said, ‘Done deal,'” Schefter said. “Everybody wants to know, is it a done deal? So, we called the Packers, Jets, Aaron Rodgers. Everybody says, ‘You have to ask somebody else, you have to ask somebody else, you have to ask somebody else.’ And that’s what I texted him. ‘Hey, everybody says to ask somebody else, so I’m asking you. Have you told the Jets that you’re planning to play for them?’ That was my text to him.
“And then, when he didn’t respond … [I said] ‘OK, I’m going to call him.’ I called him, he sent it right to voicemail. That’s when I got the text back.”
Russini has also been reporting on the Rodgers situation. In fact, she reported an apparent “wish list” Rodgers had if the Jets wanted to acquire him. That was the catalyst for the call-out on McAfee’s show.
Despite Rodgers’ emphatic call-out, Russini stood by her reporting. After all, New York signed Allen Lazard and are reportedly kicking the tires on Randall Cobb and Marcedes Lewis, as well. She made it clear she didn’t report those names as “demands,” though.
“It’s all semantics,” Russini said. “It is smart business by Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets to be on the same with what they want. Why wouldn’t the Jets ask Aaron Rodgers which players he likes? They were recruiting him. This is a guy who was contemplating retirement. This is New York trying to sell themselves, and smart by New York.
“We saw Tom Brady share with the Tampa Bay Bucs some of the players he would like to play with as well. But again, a wish list. On my Amazon account, I have a wish list. Does that mean I buy every single thing? No. But I would like for them to come true.”