U mad, bro?: Roaring opinions about Aaron Rodgers; idea of trading Paul Skenes within the division

If I know my audience (and sometimes, I’m not entirely sure that I do), I know that you will be mad if there is no “U mad, bro?” without fair warning.

With that being said, here is that warning: No “U mad, bro?” next week.

I’m off. So someone else around here is going to have to be your rage-sponge for a week. My mental health needs a break from your lack of mental health from time to time.

I can only be your sports sounding board 50 weeks a year. The other two are on you to sort out on your own.

So get it alllllll out now, and don’t get too pent up over the next two weeks. I can’t come back to an overflowing inbox fresh off my honeymoon.

Let ‘er rip for this week’s edition.

Someone calling themselves “SHARKBITE” replied to this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast about the Aaron Rodgers situation.

This would be the perfect time to go with Rudolph & Howard & see if there is anything there to move forward with or get ready to draft a QB next year. Either way you have a plan & a path. If you bring in Rodgers it will put you back a full year. https://t.co/B8Z8BQqk2H

— shark bite (@sharkbitetony) June 2, 2025

I hear ya. But I’m pretty sure there’s never a “perfect” time to go to a sixth-round rookie or a guy you’ve passed over for playing time on three or four different occasions.

This was always going to be another gap year in the post-Big Ben era — unless Rodgers really has a lot left in the tank.

Which I doubt.

In other words, SHARK, I think we’re gonna need a bigger boat.

Spicoli wasn’t exactly wild about this week’s podcast.

Mark could stop being the oxygen for the fire. If you don’t talk about it, it doesn’t exist Mark.

Like I said, my prediction is Rodgers is laying on wait for a good team to lose a QB during camp or preseason. I don’t think the Steelers are attractive enough to him.

— Spicoli - #FreeKarenRead #FKR (@spicoli_75) June 2, 2025

Well, OK. Fair enough, but you say that as if both things can’t be true.

You’re probably right about Rodgers’ true desires. That the Steelers are beneath a 41-year-old QB with no other options. That it is possible they are being played by him.

If you are right, though, aren’t those worthy topics of conversation?

“BURGHFAN32162” has a thought on Rodgers’ perceived lack of motivation to sign with the Steelers in the first place.

“What happens if the line doesn’t protect that well and he is sacked a lot? What happens if he doesn’t get the chance to pass more? What happens if he can’t change plays at the line of scrimmage? What happens if the team starts 0 and 6? Maybe if he signs the contract should have a ‘no quit’ clause.”

Maybe the Pirates should’ve had one of those clauses for Derek Bell and Raul Mondesi. Or Ziggy Pálffy with the Penguins.

Believe me, if things go as badly as you are describing, we’ll all be thrilled if he pulls an “Operation Shutdown” like Bell did.

A person named SoloKing21 thinks the public is being too hard on Rodgers.

“He had an Achilles injury. Do people just ignore how important the Achilles is in football and how long it takes to be 100%? Yikes.”

No. I think people are well aware of that. Are you ignoring how much harder it is to recover from that injury at age 41?

Yikes!

When I passed along Jim Bowden’s trade proposal of Paul Skenes to the Chicago Cubs last week, Jay sent me a friendly reminder to put it in context.

“Don’t forget that they gave Aramis Rameriz away to the Cubs and he haunted us for a decade.”

Ha! Well, yes. Ramirez did do that. “Haunts” might be a bit strong, but a .290 batting average, an OPS of .881, 119 RBIs and 33 homers against the Pirates during his career certainly was tough to watch. However, he did some of it with Milwaukee too, remember.

Something tells me that the potential ghost of “Paul Skenes Future” would do even more haunting of Scrooge McNutting for however long he was in Chicago.

Finally, let’s hear from Joseph.

“Do you suppose the Steelers have figured out how to keep the team in the news during the off-season? Seems to be working.”

Honestly, Joseph, I think they are longing for an offseason when that isn’t the case.

At least not like this.