Jordan Rodgers just went on national TV and picked his big brother -- even as their relationship has been described as only “cordial.”
On Wednesday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, the college football analyst and Bachelorette alum was asked which AFC quarterback he would trust most in the playoffs. The field included Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Bo Nix, Drake Maye -- and 42-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Jordan, 38, chose Aaron.
“This one might surprise you a little bit,” he said. “I’m gonna go Rodgers.” He argued the Steelers know who they are: an elite defense that runs the ball and asks less of Aaron than almost any offense has in his career. “I just feel like I trust the guy that’s got the MVPs, that has the veteran status, that’s seen everything,” Jordan added, calling Pittsburgh’s setup a “good sweet spot.”
The on-air hug lands against a more complicated private picture. A source told Page Six last month that Jordan and his wife, JoJo Fletcher, are only “cordial” with Aaron, and that Aaron has “led the public to believe things are better than they actually are with Jordan.”
The family drama has been public for years. Aaron made headlines in July when he reunited with parents Darla and Ed and older brother Luke after a long estrangement; Jordan was absent from those posts. In August, Aaron criticized relatives who put family “schism” details on TV -- a clear nod to Jordan’s 2016 Bachelorette run -- without naming him. By September, on the Not Just Football podcast, Aaron said the family was “full circle” and “back together,” including “my little brother.”
Jordan’s First Take pick does not settle every off-camera question. It does put a four-time MVP endorsement on the record from the one sibling whose relationship with Aaron has been the most closely watched -- and it arrives as the Steelers lean on defense and the run game to make late-career football look lighter for No. 8.
