FRISCO - According to a Dallas Cowboys' iconic star, the Pittsburgh Steelers have jumped from the frying pan right into the fire.
When the Steelers traded talented-but-temperamental receiver George Pickens to the Cowboys, rumors out of Pittsburgh surfaced that one of the reasons they gave up on him was his penchant for creating locker-room drama and distractions. Iron-fisted, football-first head coach Mike Tomlin doesn't put up with nonsense, the theory went.
Until ... hello, Aaron Rodgers.
Not sure what happened to Tomlin - did he go "soft" overnight? - but the Steelers want their fans to believe that Rodgers won't be the distraction they claimed Pickens was.
It is Rodgers, remember, who claims that 9/11 was an inside job, that he knows more about COVID than Dr. Anthony Fauci, and that he could simply "manifest" a Super Bowl with the New York Jets with positive thoughts and vibes. He also flirted with a political career last Summer and then skipped a Jets' minicamp to vacation in Egypt.
On the field, Rodgers' mediocre play helped lead to a 1-4 start that got both the head coach and general manager fired. After a 5-12 season, the Jets let him walk. He is 41, and the lone Super Bowl of his 20-year career came in 2011.
It was former New York Giants' defensive lineman Justin Tuck who first pointed out Pittsburgh's hypocrisy on social media. Then Dez Bryant chimed in.
Wrote Tuck, "Imagine moving on from George Pickens thinking he was a locker room distraction only to end up with Aaron Rodgers as your QB."
Added Dez, "You said it."
To be fair, Dez knew his way around a distraction or two during his Cowboys career. And soon after agreeing with Tuck, Bryant glowed about the prospect of Rodgers succeeding in Pittsburgh.
Wrote Dez, "I think Aaron Rodgers is going to ball in Pittsburgh."
Despite that seeming flip-flop, Dez's initial point stands: the Steelers rid themselves of a player who causes distractions to save their season, and have now signed a player notorious for causing distractions in an attempt to save their season.