1. Front Office Sports reported on Wednesday that there was “surprisingly little interest” from NFL media partners for the services of Aaron Rodgers. The report also stated that one unnamed source said while Rodgers could be “a great analyst,” he’s also “insufferable.”

Let’s be clear about one thing: If Aaron Rodgers decided to retire and go into sports media, he’d have multiple offers from networks.

This is just simple common sense.

For starters, if being insufferable was a hinderance in getting a job in sports television, we’d have a lot fewer people on TV. While Rodgers absolutely comes with baggage, baggage doesn’t prevent all-time great athletes from getting jobs in sports television.

Fox has hired Michael Vick, Pete Rose and A-Rod over the years. While all of their transgressions vary in seriousness, it shows that Fox isn’t afraid to hire people with less than sterling reputations.

In addition, there is nothing networks in the NFL business love more than former quarterbacks. Rodgers, when he retires, will not just be any former quarterback. The appeal of bringing in a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback will outweigh the “insufferable” issues.

Then there’s the Howard Stern Effect at play here. Remember the scene in Private Parts when the radio station ratings guy revealed that people who hate Howard listen to him more than the people who love Howard?

You’d never have anyone in sports television admit this, but at the end of the day, Rodgers being controversial is a positive, not a negative. Just ask Pat McAfee. Because Rodgers has become a polarizing figure, everything he says gets picked up, aggregated, dissected and analyzed. Again, people in power won’t admit this, but this is now part of the sports media business.

I’ve written before that if Rodgers wanted to get into broadcasting after his playing career, I think Fox’s NFL studio is the most natural fit. Jimmy Johnson just retired. The show will need a replacement for Terry Bradshaw sooner rather than later. Fox is based on the West Coast where Rodgers lives. And the network has shown it loves big names and isn’t afraid to hire controversial figures.

So while maybe someone from the NFL Network or ESPN or CBS may have said Rodgers is “insufferable,” that does not mean he won’t have multiple offers if he wants to go into television.

2. This week’s SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast is an All-Mailbag edition in which I answer listener-submitted questions.

Among some of the topics covered: Would Fox move Tom Brady from games to its studio show? Why has ESPN changed Monday Night Football directors for the third time in four years? Would you rather Kevin Harlan or Ian Eagle calling the final two minutes of a tie game? Why is ESPN totally dropping the ball with Around the Horn’s final episode?

Following the Mailbag, Sal Licata from WFAN radio and SNY TV in New York joins me for our weekly “Traina Thoughts” segment. This week’s topics include Major League Baseball and Fox ruining Opening Day with several terrible decisions, the NCAA tournament, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo’s rant against the Mets, John Cena’s first promo after turning heel, “White Lotus” and more.

You can listen to the SI Media With Jimmy Traina podcast below or on Apple and Spotify.

You can also watch SI Media With Jimmy Traina on Sports Illustrated‘s YouTube channel.

3. All signs indicate that CBS and Turner will be very happy with viewership numbers in a few weeks when the NCAA tournament wraps up.

Sunday’s Selection Show drew 5.7 million viewers on CBS.

Tuesday’s play-in games also drew impressive numbers with North Carolina helping TruTV pull in an impressive 2.2 million viewers for the nightcap.

There might not be an event outside of the Super Bowl that benefits more from sports betting becoming more and more prevalent across the country than the NCAA tournament. Between the bracket pools and legal betting, the numbers for the tournament should only go up or at least stay strong, year-to-year.

4. Here are the CBS/TNT/TBS/TruTV broadcaster assignments for the first day of the NCAA tournament:

Brian Anderson–Jim Jackson:
Creighton vs. Louisville
Alabama St. vs. Auburn
Wofford vs. Tennessee
Utah St. vs. UCLA

Andrew Catalon–Steve Lappas:
High Point vs.Purdue
McNeese vs. Clemson
Arkansas vs.Kansas
Omaha vs. St. John’s

Brad Nessler–Brendan Haywood:
Montana vs. Wisconsin
VCU vs. BYU
Yale vs. Texas A&M
UC San Diego vs. Michigan

Tom McCarthy–Deb Antonelli-Steve Smith
SIU Edwardsville vs. Houston
Georgia vs. Gonzaga
Drake vs. Missouri
UNCW vs. Texas Tech

5. I was kinda into the Lions proposal that illegal contact and defensive holding should no longer be automatic first-down penalties. I always found it ridiculous that when a team would get bailed out on a third-and-long by a ticky-tacky five-yard illegal contact penalty that gave the offense a first down.

While I wouldn’t mind that rule change getting adapted, it was funny to see why the Lions proposed the changed.

6. The Bengals deserve credit for re-signing Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (although it’s going to be impossible for them to put together a good defense now, but that’s beside the point), but maybe win something before taking a victory lap on the media. This is such a weak look.

7. RANDOM VIDEO OF THE DAY: Yesterday was Harvey Weinstein’s birthday. It did not deserve to be acknowledged yesterday and we would never celebrate Harvey Weinstein. However, we will remember one of the funniest scenes ever on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Be sure to catch up on past editions of Traina Thoughts and check out the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast hosted by Jimmy Traina on Apple, Spotify or Google. You can also follow Jimmy on X and Instagram.


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Report About Networks Not Being Interested in ‘Insufferable’ Aaron Rodgers Is Laughable.