Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers made sure to use what could be his final NFL press conference to do what he knows best — other than throwing a football — and that’s creating a bit of controversy and subsequent headlines in the sports media world.
After the Pittsburgh Steelers’ blowout loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card Game — the Aaron Rodgers-led offense failed to score a single touchdown in the 30-6 loss — the future Hall of Fame quarterback discussed the fact that both his current coach Mike Tomlin and his former Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur were on the hot seat.
The following day, Tomlin stepped down from his post as Steelers head coach after 19 seasons.
“This league has changed a lot in my 21 years. When you hear conversations about the Mike Tomlin’s of the world, the Matt LaFleur’s of the world, those are just two I played for,” Rodgers said.
“When I first got into the league, there wouldn’t be conversations about whether those guys were ‘on the hot seat,’ but the way the league is covered now and the way there are snap decisions and validity given to the Twitter experts and all the experts on TV now, who make it seem like they know what the hell they’re talking about [things have changed]. To me, that’s an absolute joke.”
Aaron Rodgers’ take on Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur being on the hot seat fact-checked as being wrong, comments about “Twitter experts” exposed as being hypocritical
Rodgers’ take was pretty thoroughly disputed, with many NFL journalists pointing out that the likes of Marty Schottenheimer, Lovie Smith, Andy Reid, and even his former head coach Mike McCarthy were fired under similar circumstances while he has been in the league.
Schottenheimer was a particularly mentioned example, as he was fired in 2006 after going 14-2 and securing the AFC’s #1 seed.
The year after he got in the league Marty Schottenheimer was fired off a 14-2 season because of playoff failure. Never coached in the NFL again.
More fantasy from a dude who always thinks he’s the smartest in the room. https://t.co/2fcDdcxwd8
— Pat Thorman (@Pat_Thorman) January 13, 2026
I mean, I agree Tomlin and LaFleur shouldn’t be on the hot seat. But Mike McCarthy was fired by the Packers in 2018 despite being one of only five coaches in NFL history to lead one team to 8 straight playoff appearances. Sooo… not sure it’s a new societal issue necessarily? 🤷🏻♂️ https://t.co/fPL3Kfrkpr
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) January 13, 2026
Andy Reid & Lovie Smith got fired by organizations that they took to Super Bowls when Aaron was in the prime of his career.
the noise might be louder now, but this just isn’t true lol https://t.co/JUCsnOxrJR
— Dave Helman (@davehelman_) January 13, 2026
Reflexively asking for successful good coaches to be fired because of a few playoff disappointments is just as dumb as never questioning a coach just because he is long-tenured and had success in the past. What happened to nuance. https://t.co/jpHji5vdSW
— Timo Riske (@PFF_Moo) January 13, 2026
They other aspect of Rodgers’ comments that prompted ire from the NFL world was his diatribe about “Twitter and TV” experts dictating the narrative around the league’s coaches, as it’s in direct contradiction to his own history as a “doing my own research” guy.
“So what you’re saying is Aaron that unless people are subject matter experts with experience in the industry we shouldn’t listen to them? What a crazy idea that certainly isn’t insanely ironic coming from you!” one tweet read.
“Ironic coming from a guy who fancies himself an expert of everything unrelated to football, including vaccines, 9/11, Sandy Hook, etc,” was another.
“Doctors say the same thing about athletes talking about vaccines,” a third added.
“Says the guy who would go on Twitter and TV and give Epstein commentary and COVID medical advice like he knew what he was talking about,” a fourth chimed in.
In the loss to the Texans, in potentially his final NFL action, Rodgers completed 17 of 33 passes for 146 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception (returned for a touchdown), while also being sacked four times.