Aaron Rodgers ruined any chance of being missed when he pulls a 'Keyser Soze'
Good morning, winners. The NBA Draft is tonight, so here's the final mock draft from FTW's Bryan Kalbrosky to catch you up on what to expect. We'll get to more on the draft in a minute.
For now, I want to talk about Aaron Rodgers, who we may not have to talk about much more for very long (fingers crossed). There was a time I thought Rodgers might be the GOAT quarterback. This was before Tom Brady unanimously clinched that title, somewhere between his fourth and seventh rings, when Rodgers was still active in Green Bay with a chance to add more rings to his resume of one. Pre-Patrick Mahomes, I was pretty sure Rodgers was the best thrower of the football I'd ever seen. I was willing to argue that with anyone.
Then, sometime around the unceremonious end of his time in Green Bay, Rodgers started ruffling feathers -- and running his mouth. He was making more headlines for stuff off the field than anything good on the field... and well, he hasn't really stopped since. Boy, do I miss the days when he only came up in QB debates and discount double-check commercials. Now, I just want Rodgers to go away, as I'm sure a lot of you also want. Thankfully, we just got some good news on that front.
On Tuesday's episode of the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said the 2025 NFL season will be his last, and when he's done playing — this is where it gets good — he'll just disappear, never to be heard from again: "When this is all done, it's Keyser Söze, you won't see me. I don't want to live a public life."
Say you swear. Can we get that written in blood?
I wish it weren't this way. It'd be nice if Rodgers was just a quirky yet lovable personality we could enjoy in his post-playing life like, say, the late Bill Walton. Instead, he's revealed himself to be a blabbering poster child for the dangerous "anti-woke" crowd that questions quite literally everything, including vaccinations. Ironically, his cynicism has turned him into the person nobody trusts. He's been so full of it, people aren't even sure whether to believe he's actually married -- which of course turned into another of his annoying rants.
Here's the thing, though. If Rodgers actually wanted less attention, he could start now. Even if he still wants to play football, nobody's making him do things like go on the McAfee show. That's his choice. And that's why I'll only believe he'll disappear when he actually disappears. Until then, all we have are these words to give us hope. If he sticks to it, he'll be doing us all a favor.
Cooper Flagg is about to save the Mavericks from themselves
I still can't believe the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic only to somehow win the NBA draft lottery at 1.8 percent odds and get the opportunity to land another potential generational star like Cooper Flagg just a few months later.
That is just an incredible amount of good fortune for a team whose fans seemed about ready to abandon ship. Now, if Flagg pans out, the good folks in Dallas will have more than enough reason to stick around. I guess there's still technically a question about whether Flagg will actually pan out, but for me it isn't a question at all. This is where I remind everyone we have proof of concept -- and I'm not just talking about his outstanding freshman campaign at Duke as the Naismath Men's College Basketball Player of the Year.
No, I'm talking about what he did against the U.S. Olympic team last summer -- as a 17-year-old. In case you haven't watched in a while...
In a game against some of the NBA's elite, he showed he belonged. That's why I have no doubt he'll have an immediate impact in the NBA. The Mavericks are so damn lucky.
PROSPECT PARK: Q&A with likely first-rounder Thomas Sorber
More moves for the Celtics?
One day after trading Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers, the Boston Celtics have agreed to send Kristaps Porzingis to the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal that sheds more salary for the 2024 champs. But are the Celtics done dealing or could another big name be on the move soon?
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Celtics are getting calls about both Jaylen Brown and Derrick White, and they're listening. The cost to land those players is high, but it doesn't sound like Boston is against moving either for the right price.
Joined @notthefakeSVP on the Celtics' incoming calls on Jaylen Brown and Derrick White as they shed $180 million in taxes over 24 hours — plus Kyrie Irving explains his Dallas commitment: pic.twitter.com/R4NcbvpFLw
If any of this materializes into another big trade, Jayson Tatum is going to look like that sad Will Smith meme from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air when he returns from his Achilles injury.
POOLE FOR MCCOLLUM: Wizards-Pelicans trade grades
Quick hits: Caitlin Clark's slump ... Jordan Poole on the move ... and more
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