“You want the rings, dog. Eli Manning got two!” This is part of what the Texans QB C. J. Stroud said on the Jets‘ star QB Aaron Rodgers’ lack of rings back in June. Keyphrase: part of the quote. Yes! There’s more to it. Rather, we should use the term ‘slander’ here because it’s nothing less than that. Now, fast-forward a couple of months, the former Broncos guard has come out supporting the 40-year-old seasoned vet.

Speaking on The Stinkin’ Truth Podcast, on the 2nd of August, Mark Schlereth, although a huge Stroud fan, has backed A-Rod. “I know enough guys that have played with Aaron Rogers that love playing with him. Aaron Rogers is a dude! Like now, he’s a little quirky dude as he’s gotten older. But he’s a dude and I think guys like playing with him,” This is what Schlereth said.

As they say, with age comes wisdom, and it seemed he also tried to save Stroud’s neck for his lousy diss. But before we come to this, let’s roll back the time for a little context presetting. On the Million Dollaz Podcast which premiered on the 3rd of June, Stroud decided to lead a new trend of active players openly discussing fellow active players. The only difference here is that he might have taken it a bit too far.

Houston’s QB candidly compared Eli Manning’s completed career to Aaron Rodgers’ nearing end. He stated that he’d rather prefer Manning’s career because of the two rings he boasts. But hold on, it gets exciting from here. From the talk that started with the lack of Super Bowl rings Rodgers has, CJ hit it with another curveball. “I’ve talked to Tom Brady. What he told me is his teammates, and how he treats his teammates. We don’t know how Aaron Rodgers treats his teammates,” he said. But what does it mean? According to Stroud, he said that Brady has 7 rings, so this means he treated his teammates well. And, as for A-Rod, his one ring speaks for himself.

Well, well, well. “That’s a myth busted!” We can say. Speaking quite directly on his podcast, Mark rebuffed the 22-year-old’s claims. We would also back the former guard on this one because Aaron’s treatment of his teammates is NOT ‘unknown’. In fact, on the contrary, Marquez Valdes-Scantling revealed to CBS Sports in April that Rodgers is, “One of the greatest you’ll ever find. He cares more about his teammates than about the game of football.” For anyone wondering, yes, they both were former teammates at the Packers from 2018 to 2021. MVS further added that people fail to understand this side of Rodgers “because they get this perception of him as this diva or all about himself.” But, he said that’s not true at all! Well, that’s 1-0 to A-Rod. Sorry, CJ.

Mark knows all well what it comes to when you open your mouth on the podcast. Especially when you are a player. So, while protecting the up-and-coming QB, he said, “I do think there’s probably going to be a phone call apology maybe to Aaron. Like, ‘Hey man that was you know I took myself out of context’.” We do not know about the apology, but one thing is sure, that these comments will stick to the young star for a long time. But just when you thought, ‘That’s it, phew!’ It takes another turn.

“If you give Matthew Stafford a chance like Aaron Rodgers had, I guarantee you he might have had more rings. I think he would have like three or four.” That’s one of the last digs Stroud aimed at A-Rod during his podcast appearance. Was it a stray, or was he right? Let’s dive into what Schlereth had to say about this.

Aaron Rodgers is a Super Bowl MVP for a reason!

On his podcast, the former pro-football player turned Sportscaster Mark Schlereth said, “I hate to see that for CJ cuz he’s a conscientious kid. But because I respect his game, I’m going to let him plead temporary insanity.” This is what Mark had to say for the Texans’ QB’s rogue Matthew Stafford – Aaron Rodgers comparison. Why rogue? Let’s see.

Schlereth’s got a lot of love for Matthew, but he knows championships need more than just talent. He noted Stafford nabbed his ring with the Rams, not the Lions -the franchise that drafted him back in 2009. On the flip side, Schlereth pointed out that for Aaron, the weight of expectation has always been heavy. Well, that’s no secret. When Matt LaFleur joined him at the Packers, his approach of managing the game and letting Rodgers shine on third downs led to three straight 13-3 seasons. Sure, they stumbled in the playoffs, but Rodgers is a four-time MVP for a reason!

But the talk is about SB rings. And Rodgers’ won the Championship long before LaFleur showed up. So, what does it talk about him? Well, here’s a comparison of Stafford and A-Rod’s stats from their championship-winning games.

Rodgers’ stats lit up the scoreboard, earning him the coveted Super Bowl MVP title back in 2011. On the flip side, Stafford made history in a bittersweet way. He’s the only QB to throw three or more TD passes for the winning team and not snag the MVP award. Talk about a tough break!

Saying that Rodgers did it with a much better franchise around him, is fine. Because, let’s be honest, you do not win the championship without a “TEAM”. However, if that’s true, then Stafford moving his bases to the Lions before becoming the SB champ also reflects that he needed a better system to win it. And that’s what Schlereth pointed at as well.

All-in-all, it all comes back to CJ Stroud’s boldness. Here’s a kicker. Texans will be facing the Jets on Halloween night. Do you think Aaron Rodgers will haunt him or treat him? Let us know.