Former NFL star Ryan Clark has launched a brutal attack on Aaron Rodgers, labeling the Jets quarterback a “catfish” and insisting he cannot be compared to Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.
Rodgers has been in the spotlight following the firing of Robert Saleh, who left New York this week after a miserable 2-3 start to the season.
The 40-year-old quarterback has so far failed to turn around the Jets’ fortunes since his move from the Green Bay Packers last year.
Rodgers is a Super Bowl champion and four-time MVP who has long been considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. Clark insists he has “all the physical tools to be the best ever.”
But the former safety – who won Super Bowl XLIII with the Pittsburgh Steelers – believes Rodgers lacks certain “intangible” qualities, leaving him “devoid of leadership” and unable to “take a locker room to the next level” like Brady or Manning.
Ryan Clark has launched a brutal attack on Aaron Rodgers, labeling the Jets star a ‘catfish’
Former NFL star Clark said: ‘There’s something he’s missing in his intangible DNA’
“Everyone thought they knew who Aaron Rodgers is,” Clark continued ESPN is on.
“The Aaron Rodgers we knew was in a fantasy land and a figment of our imaginations.
“The Aaron Rodgers we mentioned (together) with the names Tom Brady and Peyton Manning was a catfish.”
Clark further pointed out that Manning turned the Denver Broncos into Super Bowl champions after leaving the Indianapolis Colts, while Brady won a seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy after joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Peyton Manning led the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl glory after leaving the Colts in 2011
Tom Brady collected a seventh Vince Lombardi Trophy after joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
“The spirit, reverence, attention to detail and respect of these organizations were immediately enhanced by the addition of these two quarterbacks,” Clark said.
“That’s not what happened in New York. Aaron Rodgers was brought into that conversation because he was the best quarterback we had ever seen; he could throw the football in a way that even the other two couldn’t. But the other two had the MVPs and the championships.”
He added, “Aaron Rodgers has all the physical tools to be the best quarterback to play this game.
“There’s something he’s missing in his elusive DNA that’s depriving him of great leadership, preventing him from being able to take locker rooms to the next level, and I think that’s what we’re seeing in New York.”