Former Super Bowl champ blasts Aaron Rodgers over retirement tease

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers revealed during a Tuesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he is "pretty sure" he will retire following the 2025 season. 

During Wednesday's edition of the ESPN Radio "Unsportsmanlike" program, former NFL defensive lineman and one-time Super Bowl champion Chris Canty ripped Rodgers regarding the "McAfee Show" segment. 

"It is the definition of self-serving with the timing of Aaron Rodgers doing this," Canty said, as shared by Joe Clark of Steelers Depot. "Everything we heard him say on the 'McAfee Show' had nothing to do with helping the Pittsburgh Steelers compete for a championship. It all had to do with him saying he wants to come back for the love of the game."

Critics often referred to Rodgers as a "distraction," "selfish" and "self-centered" during his two-season stint with the New York Jets that unceremoniously ended when the club's new regime decided earlier this year to part ways with the future Hall of Famer. 

That said, NFL.com's Nick Shook noted that Rodgers told the "McAfee Show" crew that he was "going to give the Steelers everything that I got and empty the tank" in an attempt to have the club competing "in the biggest games." Per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Rodgers also confirmed on Tuesday that he will work out with some Steelers players in Malibu next week.

Nevertheless, Canty wasn't impressed by what he heard from the 41-year-old, who had skipped the majority of the offseason program before signing a team-friendly contract to join the Steelers earlier this month. 

"There's a lot of sacrifices that have to be made in order to put yourself, put your team in position to contend at the highest levels. And Aaron Rodgers hasn't done any of that this offseason," Canty added on Wednesday. "At least with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the way he's talking, it don't sound like he's going to do that with his summer break before training camp."

Steelers players seem to believe Rodgers is fully dedicated to helping the club notch at least its first playoff victory since the 2016 season. Perhaps those inside the Pittsburgh locker room will use the takes offered by Canty and other Rodgers doubters as bulletin-board material when they gather for the start of training camp practices in late July.