Ric Flair Blasts ESPN Star Over Aaron Rodgers Comments

Wrestling legend Ric Flair is clearly a major sports fan and continues to weigh in on various topics on his social media, including Super Bowl-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Amid an offseason of speculation about whether he would return to the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers, with Rodgers as their QB, secured him for one more season in a deal worth as much as $25 million.

That includes $22 million guaranteed, with several million dollars in bonus incentives available, according to ESPN‘s Brooke Pryor, who reported about the significant news last week.

It’s led to plenty of discussions about his return, as the Steelers will have Rodgers’ former head coach with the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy, as their new head coach.

During ESPN’s “First Take,” Michael Wilbon and Stephen A. Smith got into a heated debate about how great Rodgers has been in his career and how he measures up to other great quarterbacks from NFL history.

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It appears Flair may have taken issue with Wilbon’s claim about how people will view Rodgers compared to several other legends.

During his on-air comments, Wilbon told Smith there’s no way that Rodgers was as good a quarterback as Dan Marino and John Elway. He said Rodgers never “measured up physically” to Elway’s on-field performance for the Denver Broncos.

“Never in his wildest dreams … you need to go on YouTube or Google or something,” Wilbon told Smith.

Smith attempted to counter Wilbon’s argument during their debate, with Wilbon reminding him that Elway won five Super Bowls in his legendary career despite having few great teammates. Meanwhile, Rodgers has won only one Super Bowl and has had plenty of talent around him, according to Wilbon.

Flair also seemed to take issue with Wilbon’s take, calling him out in a rant on social media, and suggesting that he wanted to see Rodgers prove him wrong with a remarkable season, and then deliver a blunt message via phone to the ESPN star after he does.

“I Am Currently Sitting With Two Doctors- One A Pulmonary Doctor And Another One, A Surgeon. We Are Watching @RealMikeWilbon Crack On @AaronRodgers12. I Don't Know Why Anyone Would Call Him The Godfather. You Remind Me Of Paul Finebaum- Another Expert Idiot Who Has Never Worn A Jock Strap In Their Life. I Hope Aaron Rodgers Passes For 4,000 Yards And Throws 30 Touchdowns, And Then He Calls You Up On The Phone And Says GFY!” Flair wrote in his fired-up message on X.

It’s not the first time Flair made his thoughts clear on a significant sports matter involving a star athlete. During the Los Angeles Lakers’ playoff run, he called out their superstar Luka Doncic for sitting out the entire postseason due to injury concerns. That wasn’t necessarily Doncic’s decision, as the team was protecting its investment, but Flair fired off multiple messages about him.

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Flair’s recent blasting of ESPN’s Wilbon seems a bit more accurate because it’s a comparison argument, but it would be surprising to see Rodgers go out with the sorts of stats Nature Boy is suggesting. That said, he had multiple campaigns with over 4,000 yards and 30-plus touchdowns while being coached by McCarthy at Green Bay.

He also threw for over 4,000 yards in 2021, while still with the Green Bay Packers and under new head coach Matt LaFleur. During his second and final season with the New York Jets in 2024, he nearly reached 4,000 passing yards but finished with 3,897.

He also had 28 touchdowns in that Jets season, and previously threw for an impressive 48 as the Packers QB in 2020. So those numbers are achievable, but it remains to be seen how the offense looks under McCarthy in his first season as head coach, and Rodgers in what he says is his final season as an NFL quarterback.

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This story was originally published May 21, 2026 at 3:08 PM.