The Stephen A. Smith ShowInterview Only: Cris Carter states Aaron Rodgers created his drama. Bills, Chiefs and Ravens need WR D. Adams
Stephen A. Smith is a New York Times Bestselling Author, Executive Producer, host of ESPN's First Take, and co-host of NBA Countdown.
We're gonna start off today with the NFL and the New York Jets, who fired head coach Robert Sala in his fourth season after a two and three start in a twenty and thirty six overall record. They've named defensive coordinator Jeff Oldbridge as the interim head coach. The Jets have now leveraged their future on old Bridge, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who many blamed for Salah's departure. Now, despite the two and three starting, the upheaval and the coaching ranks to Jets have a chance to play for first place in the AFC East when they take on the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football. Let me say this real quick. I'm not blaming Aaron Rodgers for Robert Salah getting fired. I'm blaming Robert Sala for getting fired. But what I will tell you is this, for Aaron Rodgers to act like he was shocked, in surprised and had absolutely nothing to do with.
It, that's just impossible to believe. It's just impossible to believe.
Not saying he went and called him to be fired, but your body language on your sideline, your body language with him, your level of frustration that you're exhibiting the way that you've been playing, which is not up to your stand combined with Robert Sala, who was elite defensively because the Jets are top notch defense in the National Football League, so he had a lot to do with what was structured defensively there with old Bridge.
So we got to give credit to salaur Wedge due. But when you're the head coach.
In the National Football League, ladies and gentlemen, you got to be an overseer. You got to be somebody that shows you can handle defense, offense, special teams in terms of decision making and when it came to stuff on the offensive side of the ball, Sala just didn't seem to be there. When it came to having the respect of players. It just didn't seem to be there. When it came to being demonstrative enough to make sure that you could provoke change when was necessary so y'all could play better, it just didn't seem to be there. And so Woody Johnson to me, did make the wrong decision.
Now for them.
People that would sit up there and say, well, guess what why Now, keep in mind whatdye Johnson didn't hire him? Woody Johnson's brother, Christopher, that's the one. Christopher Johnson is the one that hired Robert Sala. Woody Johnson was the ambassador to the United Kingdom during the Trump administration while all of that was going on, and so he didn't have a lot to do with the hiring. And he told us that when he said he had reservations for the last couple of years. Now, why would he say that, you just hired him a couple of years?
Go, What the hell is that about?
So I don't believe that for one second. Now, having said all of that, let's say this. It's on Aaron Rodgers. Now, you gotta find a way to step your game up and get it done, because guess what. New York ain't been to the playoffs since twenty ten. They've had a horrific quarterback play over the years. You're certainly not that, but they ain't gonna give Aaron Rodgers any favors either.
This ain't Green Bay. You can't be telling people relax ri la Acx, relaxed. Nobody won't hear that shit. Uh uh, you got the ball, bro You got the ball?
Now?
In order to do that, you probably need another receiver. And I get there, by the way. For Nathaniel Hackett, his father was an elite college coach who coached in the NFL under the Bill Belichicks, the Marty Schottenhammers of the.
World, Bill Walsh is rather of the world, stuff like that.
And so when you look at the fact that this man has had multiple jobs as an offensive coordinator and one as a head coach, considering his level of ineptitude, it is some It's the epitome of nepotism. I just need to say that about Nathaniel Hackett. I'm gonna get that out the way.
Now.
Let me move on to what Aaron Rodgers may really really need, and that's rad is wide receiver Devonte Adams, who wants out of Las Vegas and reportedly wants to be reunited with either Derek Carr now engine in New Orleans or formal quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers in New York. Like I've just been saying, my.
Steelers, the Bills, the Chiefs also have interest, according to reports. I think the Baltimore Ravens should be on that list as well. I personally don't think the Jets would be the wisest move for Adams to make.
Damn your personal feelings. Damn it now, Aaron Rods can fling that football.
And I get all of that, but you got a future to think about beyond this year. And who the hell knows what quarterback the Jets are gonna have if Aarmon Rodgers decided to walk away after this season. You, Levontae Adams, my bro, you got to be smarter than that. You should be looking at the Buffalo Bills because.
Of Josh Allen.
He ain't going anywhere and he's durable and reliable. You should be looking at Lamar Jackson in Baltimore. You should be looking at Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
That's the three places you should be looking.
And dear, I say Dallas since they got a sixty million dollars quarterback in Dak Prescott. I ain't saying you're gonna get him now, but the point is, those are the kind of teams that you should be looking at about and obviously Dak is way down on my list compared to the three aforementioned quarterbacks I mentioned.
Hell no, but that's where.
You need to be going. It ain't about your lover of fan friendship with the quarterback.
Patrick Mahomes can figure out how to get you the ball. Josh Allen can figure out how to get you the ball. Lamar Jackson can figure out how to get you the ball.
That's where you should be going, bro, that's where you should be going to stop playing, stop playing. I know, listen, I gave you prosper going to sen City after being in Green Bay where they ain't got shit but cheese. I didn't blame you for leaving green Bay and wanting to go to Sin City.
Get your groove on.
A lot of stuff that gets it happens in Sin City stays in Sint City.
I got that.
But now that you've gotten over that, you got to find yourself in a winning situation. You too elite to be at home watching the postseason while some of these cats are playing. Because you can't pick the right quarterback to throw you the football. You gotta do better, Davonte Adams, you big Tom Paulerman, I don't know if you can trust the Rogers situation in New York, and you damn sure don't need to be going to.
New Orleans with Derek Carr.
He still got to get the ball to Chrystal Lave still got to give the ball to Alvin Kamara. So I'm just saying, Baltimore, Buffalo, Kansas City, think about that, Bro, think about it.
Joining me now to discuss all things NFL. It's my brother.
He's a Hall of Fame wide receiver. All he did was catch touchdown passes. But that's not all he did life. He just got back from London. But right of that he was in Paris at Patty, you remember. But the wife wanted to go to the Patty, so he went to Patty, and then he went to London. And then he called me from London bragging about the Vikings when they had intercepted Aaron Rodgers not once but twice, acting like he was gonna get blown out of the building.
And then I ain't hear from him.
When the game got scary scary close by the way, I'm talking about.
The winning Old Chris Carter, what's up CC, what's going on?
Bro? What's up? Man?
It's good man, it's good. I didn't like I'm all for the Vikings winning. I didn't think that that we're starting to retire coaches now. I mean, I didn't think telling me about eating up on the Jets like that, I didn't think that the earing result would be that Robert slind would lose his shock.
How shocked were you that Woody Johnson decided to let go of Solid just five games into the season.
I mean very shocked. If you look at the Johnson's record as far as with the Jets the last twenty five years. Now, that's that's fact where it's not good. But at least from a coaching standpoint, even the worst coach that they've had, none of them they fired this early in the season or early in the season. So it lets you know that they are definitely not satisfying with the problem and they do believe in regardless of what we think, that this team might have a chance.
That's the only reason why.
You would fire a coach with Aaron Rodgers healthy and you only be in two and three and if you beat Buffalo next Monday night, you're tied for first in your division.
So they feel like they can still salvage this season.
Well, you're dann right.
They got a chance. First of all, they got in the league defense. Secondly, and more importantly, you still got Aaron Rodgers. The Buffalo Bills isn't looking great over the last two weeks, so we know what happened with Miami.
Since two is going down, we're looking at the rest of the AFC.
There are people there who could be had, even Kansas City five, and those still look vulnerable because most of their games was tight before they ran right at New Orleans on Monday night. But let me get a bit personal here. Did you think Salad deserved to be fired? And do you believe that Aaron Rodgers had absolutely nothing to do with him being five?
Well, I think both of those things are probably true. First of all, you're not going to fire ahead come without consideration from a forty year old veteran quarterback like Aaron Rodgers. Like when I decided to leave Green Bay, we're in partnership, like we're trying to bring a Super Bowl to the Jets. But I'm gonna look at all the personnel decisions Aaron Roctors had a hand in now, because those decisions weren't good last year. He wants a slock receiver, goes after one of his former slock receivers there in Green Bay, Randall Randol Cobb was washed out, like he didn't have no good football left in him, and if you look at what he's doing now Alan Lazard, or watch some of the other night in London, he's not that explosive as you would think for a six five twenty five pound mart Re season. You know, so Aaron Rodgers has played the role in the person there. He played the role in the offensive coordinator being there. So now you just want me to close my eyes and my ears everything I've ever observed in my life. To think that he didn't have anything to do with the coach being done, that I would be a little not easy to think that.
I'm just saying, man, where's my brother? That's like, come on, man, I don't see that guy to it. You know, you look a little mellow. You know, say you was in London and stuff like that. For flying overseas might be a little jet lag. You look at a little mellow today. I'm just wondering you seem a bit nicer than I thought you was gonna be about this subject.
Well, the thing about is I realized that you can't have two yelling brothers on the show. So I've come in here with the information like these are facts. The Jets are don't do what they want to do. But you also know you're trying to judge an organization that.
Is not good at football. I mean all the.
Things that they've done general management through the years, drafted players through the g like they didn't look like a super Bowl caliber team, regardless of what the owner thinks about there. But when you look at how bad the offenses have been with Robert sala as the head coach, But you can't be encouraged by Nathaniel Hackett by what he did those last two years in Green Bay, what he did with Denver, and what.
He's done at the Jets.
So for me, I'm going to keep the coach because I don't believe that there's a solution in the building, especially being that close.
And having very good personnel that the Jets do have very good.
Personal Before I ask you this question about Aaron Rodgers and I get off this subject, i'd be remissing neglecting to play sound from Aaron Rodgers. He appeared on the Pat McAfee show on ESPN around a little bit after twelve noon today, and listen to what Aaron Rodgers had to say on the Pat McAfee show.
Check it out. Before I ask you my question.
I would love to offer you the floor to kind of explain how yesterday went down, your thoughts on it all, and how you think we got to this point that we're at with the New York Jets organization in twenty twenty four.
Yeah, I mean, yesterday was a day that reminds you of the simple fact that all of us who played know all too well, and that's that it's a tough business. It's a beautiful profession, it's incredible, it's done so much for our lives, but it's also a really tough business. I love Coach Sala. We have a very solid relationship we have since you know, I met him in twenty twenty one and had a nice conversation when they came and visited us for joint practices. He was a big reason why I came to the Jets, you know. I felt like the team, you know, was a solid team, had a relationship with Coach Hackett obviously, and I really liked Coach Sala. As far as any of the ridiculous allegations out there, I'm not going to spend more than one sentence in response to it, and that is that I resent any of those usations because they're patently false. And uh, it's interesting the amount of power that people think that I have, which I don't. But I love Robert and uh it was you know, one of those days yesterday.
See this is this This stew's my language. CC.
This is the ship that pisses me off about Aaron Rodgers. Now we know who's the brother that coined him. He's a bad man. That would be me, you know, damn it. I was accused of having a man crush on this brother because I got that much love for him. I think he's one of the greatest brows of the football in the game of football has ever seen.
Okay, but I hate when he does that.
All right, Oh, you're not gonna dignify the response, you younger lie. I mean, you have nothing to say that you love it that people think you have that amount of power, Well, what the hell is that? Then you hack it being doing being there. If you don't have that kind of power, what are you talking about?
I mean, it makes no sense. You're the one of the greatest quarterbacks who ever lived.
They gave everything to get you to the franchise, and now it's ridiculous for us to surmise that if the coach was fired that Woody Johnson didn't talk to you first before he made the decision, or somebody didn't talk to you first. See how much do you believe Aaron Rodgers when he takes this position.
Well, this is what I do know.
I'm not going to get into an open media debate with Aaron Rodgers.
Did he have anything to do with it? I know this. If you play them better, the coach don't get fired.
So you do have something to do with the coach, you know, being fired, and you had tremendous amount of input on everything going on inside the organization. To me, if Aaron Rodgers was open to a more open offense a lot like Tom Brady was when he went to Tampa Bay. Things weren't going smooth there. I think they had a bye week week number eleven. They finally got their offense together. They barely got into the into the into the playoffs and then going to the Super Bowl. Hey Manon was a shell of himself at the end of his career in Denner, but you could see the third leadership and how much guys respected them that they were able to get it done and win championships even though they weren't playing well. Aaron Rodgers is not moving well in the pocket. Aaron Rodgers is not the athlete that he was. And just like Dan Marino and a lot of other great quarterbacks, it's either their scheme or their legs that start to fail them late in their career. And to me, a rod does not have that pop in his last He cannot get away from people the way he was in the last two weeks.
If you look at.
What Denver did to him and what the Vikings did to him, this.
Is a copy cat league. Bro they get Rade, blitz.
Them, They're gonna put six men up to the line of scrimmage. That's what Denver did, exactly what the Vikings did and compile all those hits against Aaron Rodgers because that system. They don't have enough hots raks to be able to go against that type of system. So that was the problem in Green Bay. Why the offense struggle the last two years, because Aaron wants to do what Aaron wants to do. So all these stubborn things. And by the way, Aaron Rodgers did not great at relationships. Who's he that great relationship?
So that's where we're going now, That's where we're going now. We're gonna go to Dead Abbey route. Now we're gonna go to Dead Abbey right now. He's not great for relationships. The Jets ain't better the playoffs since twenty and ten. I don't give it damn about the relationship. They need to follow whatever the hell he says follow. I mean, they ain't got anything better to do that GM Joe Douglass is twenty nine and fifty nine, top for the second worst record in the NFL since twenty nineteen with Jacksonville.
Only the Carolina Panthers have been worse. You damn right. They got to sit up there and listen to Aaron Rodgers.
When you decide you're going on Aaron Rodgers as your quarterback, you are getting ready to do things his what And he's only got one mode, you know when you play that long again Green. But he got spoiled just like Brett Fark. And now this is what you get with the Jets. When you miss man who's going to be your quarterbright, who's going to be your offensive play forward, and you let him dictate those things, you are married to this bad result. Like that's one thing about the NFL. Man, there ain't no bexy strategy, like there ain't no way to get out of this, Like typically we most get knocked out of this distance, and typically our great players end up going somewhere else, playing in the unfamiliar jersey, playing in a way that we are unfamiliar with.
And that's what I saw in Blenham. He had a green, but it was not Packer Green that had that packer menta.
Let's go to your wheelhouse with Davonte Adams. Why receiver extraordinariy once out a. Las Vegas has had a falling out by all reports with Antonio Pierce, the head coach who was the interim coach the last year I got promoted to the head coach. One minute, the players are looking to walk through a wall from him for him, run through a wall for him. Another year, just a season later, some players look like they want to throw him into the damn wall. What the hell is going on in Vegas? And what do you think about Davonte Adams wanting to leave?
Well, when you bring him there, he's the best receiver in football.
And then once they're at car because he came here for not just for the money, because Green Bay would have paid and that other teams would have paid for that.
He came there to play with his college.
But but once Derek Carr leaves, and if you don't have a competent quarterback there. When I talked to Ad last year at the Super Bowl and we talked about what are you gonna do, He's like, I'm gonna get me a quarterback. No, better get your quarterback because he's gonna need And when you don't have a quarterback. Wide receivers myself and we are some of the most selfish species in the world. And right now you are seeing what wide receivers do when you don't put us with the quarterback. And it ain't about the money. We still want the sack and we still want to win, but we can't win unless we can get our hands on the football. So we're great, very very selfish. And that's what you are seeing now in the ultimate team sport. He's trying to look out what's for the best interest for himself personally, his own braining, in his own business.
Doesn't he need to be smarter?
You stayed in Greenband, then you wanted to leave because Aaron Rodger couldn't make up his mind whether you want to keep playing or retiring, And with the plethora of places you could have gone, you decide you want to go to Vegas just because your boy Derek Carr is there and he was no all world kind of quarterback. He was good, but he was no all world crident quarterback.
You going to Vegas.
Josh McDaniel is there, he ends up out of there, Derek Carr ends up out of there. And now you didn't want to play with the Garoppolos and the o'connos and of course the gardener menshews of the world. So now that the situation is thinking, surmise him for just a second that Devontae Adams has learned the eraor of his ways.
Where do you believe the ideal place is for him to go?
There's no ideal place. I believe the same. What the Saints av white reccers. Car's not going to get any better if they get another wide receiver. He goes to the Saints. Now their problem, Christal Lovey. He's done well though, like he's on his way being a Pro Bowl player in the third year, Like why would you bring another Vetsllent in? They got the young receiver, dispecial team player made on Pro last year, Shahi Man he's got lazy speed number twenty two like so they got a nice combination. So then if you bring in a veterans, sometimes you sunk the growth of down.
In their players. I believe that he should go to the Jets. Them and Aaron Rods won't Salls put.
This this thing on.
Hell no, KNT that is terrible. That is terrible. The Jets listen. I like him with Garrett Wilson, Aaron Rodgers throwing him the football. But Aaron Rodgers doesn't been what we expected them to be in all likelihood because he's still recovering from that Killes injuries. He's a station.
But who else do they have these signs?
Garrett Wilson bro I didn't I agree with that. But how about Kansas City? Rice is out for the year. How about even though they go traded within the division.
I understand that. How about the Baltimore Ravens. How about Buffalo with Josh Allen.
Well, this is the thing, all right, there are many options that are better than the Jets, that being to me, all those options Kansas City, Buffalo, and Baltimore. But to me, I believe that he might be leaning towards a more personal relationship. I don't know Devonte Adams, but at this point in your career you have most of the accurates.
I will be trying to win. The best football coach, right, best play caller. The best scheme is Andy Reed, and it's not even close whoever's second.
So if I could get to Kansas City the less money and play with the magicians and mahomes and play with Andy Reid because they still make football fun every time I watch them, the game looks fun. And they're a desperate need of a number one receiver because Travis Kelsey at this eighties will not be able to do that for the length of the season, So they still need a number one receiver. So yeah, I agree with you, But I don't know what makes Devine think. To me it was personal relationships. Hens the city is a no bringer.
If he can get you help with the personal relations ain't dare Abbey man, you say he ain't gonna there to sit on a damn couch. You gotta play some football. The brothers too nice, He's too special to be thinking about them. Damn personal feelings. He need to get in the best winning situation and being win an elite quarterback where you know he gonna be able to put up digits because he got a quarterback to.
Get him a damn football.
Speaking of extraordinary quarterbacks, it's young in his career. Were only five games in. But this brother, Jaden Daniels in the Nation's Capital commanders are four and one yo. See they can win the division?
Bro? What what?
What's their ceiling in your eyes? The way this brother's playing complete seventy seven percent of his past eleven hundred and thirty five yards three hundred rush yards only trailing Lamar Jackson. This brother's on another level right now. How far can you see the Commander's going this year?
Well, always have two or three teams that come from nowhere, and that's one of the things that makes the NFL special, the draft situation where the worst teams are getting the best players coming from college football. Now, my scouting department, how can I get one of these great young quarterbacks because we got them coming into the league who can throw it better than ever and also be dual threats.
How can I get them in my building? Well, the number one thing you need is you need people to be able to make mistakes.
You need certain people to be all fall in love with the other girl before you get to the dance floor, you ask them to dance, and all he already took her out and come to find out ten fifteen years he's made a mistake.
And that's what you have in Washington. I believe Dan Queen, especially in the second time around.
As a head coach, he's one of the most well inspected defensive minds out there.
But as a coach he relates to the players and what they're trying to do.
I remember doing TV and going into view him before the game and the reception of the players in Atlanta and their whole vibe that they had around the organization that if he can get in another team and give him a good quarterback, and that's what they have in Jade Dangels go back to its freshman year Arizona State with hearn Etlans.
He was already a dual threat.
Then you could see, man, if he gained some way, he could be special and then get in a couple of years in the SEC A lot like Joe Burrows.
The same thing man Washington. They got it right, but also you got to get a little lucky Carolina.
You know two years ago they decided they're gonna take the guy from bound on CJ.
Straft.
This year we had Caleb Winns. Bears fell in love with the with the best player in this year's draft, it's Jadie Dankis.
Let me give you the let me give you the last word. I mean, you know, I don't feel like it. It is my damn show.
But you know, with you and your damn bikings and stuff like that, wheary, you know, waving your purple towel and wearing your.
Purple you know, warm up shirt and all this other stuff. They are five and zero.
I can't front Brian Flora's got he doing that thing. He's showing that he's a worthy head coaching candidate in this NFL. You know, we all know he wanted Justin Herbert instead of too a tongue of be lower in Miami, and that precipitated his downfall near South Beach. But it's a new day, and I didn't expect this from the Minnesota Vikings O'Connell. I'll give him a lot of credit. He looks like he's a hell of a head coach. Brian Flores is clearly a hell of a defensive coordinator A five and zero heading into their byery, what's the realistic expectation.
For this team in terms of how far they can go?
Last question, team, Well, because now we've been through at least a thirty season almost you can really start to see teams with certain traits and identity like, okay, what is this team? And we know there are defensive down on the team that has multiple pressure looks eating.
The league in size.
I think they got eleven or twelve interceptions like those types of things create a theme and a vibe withinside of the team. And now, yes, we know we have Sam Donald still only twenty seven, but he still got a lot of stars from his.
Past with the Jets in other and other teams in the NFL.
So he played his absolute worst game against a good defense of the Jets, and we were still able to win a lot like Kansas City has done. Two of their five women have been in the ugly fashion.
So you so you complain to yourself, you're comparing yourself to Kansas City, the two time ready defend Sive Bowl champions.
Of what we're doing, now, that's what we're doing.
Sell Tiger Woods said, I've won the golf tournament with my sea game. The Vikings went to London and they won with their sea football game. Sam Donald's going to have to play better. But man, Kevin O'Connell had dudes, why they that he was missing and that defensive pressure and the billing will turned people over. That that's going to be a constant this year. They got a top flight special team. Hctory is good from fifty four, and they got a good schedule. They got a home field advantage and yes, man, it's okay. I talked to the equipment guy. I told him you're at large right now. You're a little fitter he was last year. He saw you last year and thought my face was fat bar to his ex large. I was like, no, I saw the brother in a dudes and slimmed up, tightened up. We're gonna get you some large Vikings gear. So by December when it comes around, you won't look like he's just getting on the vandwagging and everything.
You'll be it. You already have some Viking stuff ready.
That's some bullshit you're talking about.
That's some bullshit you're talking right there, because the next thing you're gonna do is you're gonna say to me, I want you to get to Minnesota, but guess what, I won't be able to wear the shit because two damn cold in Minnesota, one of the coldest states of the country. I've been in Minnesota before. Okay, I don't even understand how people stated. I'm still wondering how how lucky are y'all have Anthony Edwards, because he should have wanted to leave that place.
You know, just the cold weather.
Lord.
You know, one of my best friends ever, my man Boris Battle, works for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Right we were college teammates together at Winston Salem State, has two beautiful children. Years ago Ahead introduced me to them. My first words out of his mouth was, how could you do this to them? How could you have them living in Minnesota in this cold ass weather.
Hey, bron, I went up there and had a great career. Great things are happening up there, maybe Stephen as the worldly god global Come on, man, you need to be start thinking outside the box.
Man.
You can't be geographically all big city now now you're just a big city.
Oh only if you ain't in La. I know you're in La right now, laying.
Back, I know you got the crib down in Miami. I know you'd like to call yourself a New Yorker and everything, but listen, bro, there's a big part of the Midwest and Upper Midwest.
They playing some good football up there.
Don't miss out on the twenty four football season because you've got this ideology. All these teams got to be from feeling in your Dallas or somewhere like that, and we playing good ball up there.
And I hope the BI g dm C C where you been living for the last thirty five years.
In Florida. But I've made my bread up.
Yeah, yeah, in Florida.
You understand that you in and out of Minnesota inside of twenty four hours, and you're gonna give me a damn lecture over here over the digital airways. You know your ass don't stay there more than twenty four hours.
Say why you even decided to stop.
It, to turn your camera towards the palm trees. I'm not lying.
Don't do it. Don't do it to me, don't do it to me. Love you, bro, Appreciate you, man. I talk to you next week. Thanks a lot, man.
Okay.
The one and Only CC, the one and only Chris Carter right here with Steven and Stephen. They specially over the digital airwaves of YouTube and of course our heart radio. You heard this respective about all things. NFL had to get it from him, no doubt about that. So I could be finished with all of that.
I've heard the last word. I'm giving it to him. He's got the last word on that topic.
