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Even Pat McAfee has had enough of the Aaron Rodgers drama. Rodgers, raking in seven figures for his regular gig alongside McAfee and a staple on the show during the NFL season, tossed a rhetorical bomb last week. He invoked Jimmy Kimmel’s name while diving into court documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein.

Terrell Owens holding Dude Wipes XL

Kimmel, nursing a beef with Rodgers that dates back to 2021, fired back during his Monday monologue. Playing the waiting game for an apology from the Jets star but not exactly holding his breath. Here’s the twist: the networks airing McAfee and Kimmel’s shows are both part of Disney. And now, McAfee has just unleashed a gridiron-sized bombshell about Rodgers.

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Pat McAfee signals the end of an era

Pat McAfee dropped a bombshell on the airwaves as he kicked off “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday, declaring that Aaron Rodgers has taken his final snap on the show this season. Originally set to grace the stage throughout the playoffs, the Jets‘ QB1 found himself sidelined prematurely. And McAfee didn’t hide his relief.

Read More: Patrick Mahomes vs Travis Kelce: Who Had a Better NFL 2023 Season for the Kansas City Chiefs?

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Candidly, McAfee admitted, “There will be a lot of people who are happy with that, myself included, to be honest with you.The way it ended, it got really loud. I am happy that he’s not going to be in my mentions going forward, which is great news. And over the last week, we have certainly given them all a lot of stuff to get mad about and become loud about. We’ve messed up in that particular aspect.” 

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He then explained that he has total control of his show’s creative content. And suggested that the backlash about Rodgers’ comments was giving “ammo” to critics of the show. As McAfee aptly puts it, it’s time for the playbook to shift. And he’s ready for a much-needed timeout from the Rodgers saga.

Will Aaron Rodgers stage a comeback?

The past few weeks have seen ESPN and Pat McAfee locked in a clash. Complete with McAfee’s loud and public remarks aimed at Norby Williamson, a seasoned ESPN executive for purposely trying to ‘sabotage’ his show.  The silver lining in this tumultuous scrimmage is that the 24/7 content machine is gearing up to snap the ball toward new narratives.

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USA Today via Reuters

The prospect of Rodgers making a comeback for a fifth season will reignite the news cycle. For now, however, it is anticipated McAfee will gradually shift away from the epicenter of the sports content universe. It’s time for a strategic play change, and McAfee seems poised for a more subdued presence on the field of sports commentary.

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Jhelum Mehta

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Jhelum Mehta is an NFL content analyst at EssentiallySports. Having started her journey as a writer, she harbors immense knowledge when it comes to the game of touchdowns and tackles. Her current position at ES allows Jhelum to formulate a gripping analysis of live matches that 'pocket' her perspective pieces and help assemble engaging articles. On account of this, Jhelum has been able to statistically armor her articles and also procure a couple of ‘Editor's picks’ under her belt. Despite the diversity of the articles she has covered, Jhelum predominantly reports on the Patrick Mahomes-led Kansas City Chiefs, which also remain an integral theme of her off-court pieces. Away from the enthusiasm and passion of the gridiron, Jhelum devotes her time to crafting stories and "quarterbacking" new dance moves.

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Donna Eva

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