In 2017, Tony Romo walked off the field as a Dallas Cowboys quarterback and straight into the CBS booth. Within weeks, he was being praised for calling plays before they happened. The sports world learned something that year: the best analysts aren’t always the ones who prepared for the job. They’re the ones who say what they’re thinking. On Sunday night, Cris Collinsworth brought that same idea to a live NBC broadcast when he revealed that he and Mike Tirico had spent time debating the same role for Aaron Rodgers.
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The conversation took place before the final minutes of the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field on October 18, where Collinsworth decided a private dinner was too good to keep private.
“The bottom line is, like I always thought that John McEnroe, when he was a tennis announcer, you knew from what he said as a player, like he didn’t withhold anything, right? Officials and whatever, he was gonna let you know exactly what he felt, which is great for a broadcaster, and I think Aaron would fall into that same category,” Collinsworth said [h/t: Awful Announcing]. “We know at the very least we’re gonna know what he’s thinking.”
However, that conversation was not supposed to go public. Tirico confirmed this when he said, “That was supposed to stay at dinner.”
Collinsworth agreed and apologized quickly.
As a player, John McEnroe was fiery and blunt. When he transitioned to the booth for networks like NBC Sports and ESPN, he maintained that exact persona. He did not filter his thoughts to protect players’ feelings or bow to decorum, offering blunt critiques of officials, players, and tennis schedules.
Collinsworth’s comparison hinged entirely on this trait. Aaron Rodgers is highly vocal and completely unfiltered as well. Most recently, during the Week 4 clash against the Cleveland Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers QB was caught shouting expletives at the sideline regarding play-calling to head coach Mike McCarthy and staff.
Other than that, there is one more possible explanation behind Cris Collinsworth and Mike Tirico’s discussion and comparison of Aaron Rodgers with John McEnroe.
McEnroe transitioned almost immediately toward the end of his playing days, starting with NBC in 1992. Meanwhile, Rodgers has confirmed the 2026 season as his final year as a player in the NFL.
Now, with CBS parting ways with its long-time lead analyst, Tony Romo, and Troy Aikman nearing his contract expiration with ESPN after Super Bowl LXI in February 2027, Rodgers might become a hot prospect for many broadcasting networks.
However, the 42-year-old Steelers QB has blatantly disregarded the idea of transitioning into sports media following his NFL retirement.
“When this is done, it’s Keyser Söze,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show in March 2026. “You won’t see me. I’m not doing TV. I’m not going to be out and about.”
While Cris Collinsworth loves the idea of Aaron Rodgers in a booth as an NFL analyst, the Steelers QB remains focused on the task at hand to lead his franchise to a triumphant season in his final year.