ESPN's Stephen A. Smith accuses Aaron Rodgers of being more committed to making headlines than he is to winning

It's no secret that Stephen A. Smith is a longtime defender of Aaron Rodgers, giving him the "bad man" nickname to show his loud support of his guy.

But the boisterous ESPN personality, who is never bashful about sharing a hot take, has had a change of tune lately and it was highlighted again Friday during "First Take," the morning talk show Smith hosts.

"Aaron Rodgers seems more committed to making headlines at this point in his career than he is to winning," Smith told co-host Ryan Clark. "Nobody is bringing that up. I am not accusing the man of going out on the football field and not trying to win."

The conversation, of course, was about Rodgers' future following the Packers quarterback's emergence from his darkness retreat, which ESPN reported took place Wednesday.

Stephen A. Smith says Aaron Rodgers is 'entertained' by creating headlines

Rodgers, 39, said being in isolation for four days would hopefully in part lead him to clarity about whether he wants to continue playing football.

Whether that will be with the Green Bay Packers, the only team he has played for during his 18-year career, is also unknown. Trade speculation has been rampant since the season ended with several teams appearing to be interested in Rodgers' services. Rodgers is due close to $60 million in 2023 after signing an extension last offseason following back-to-back MVP seasons. But Rodgers is coming off his worst statistical year of his career.

Smith, who toward the end of last season said Rodgers was getting on his nerves, implied that No. 12 not being in Green Bay more during the offseason in recent seasons, especially last year with a young receiver corps, played a role in the Packers' failures in 2022.

"There are nuggets of intel that we have witnessed and received that shows there’s more that Aaron Rodgers could have done to facilitate winning like being in camp and cultivating relationships with his receivers," Smith said. "We’ve talked about these things and helping to bring dudes along. That’s not what’s he’s necessarily done. He’s marched to his own beat and his own tune. And that’s what he seems hell bent on doing. He seems entertained by the fact that it has created headlines and news."

From COVID to darkness retreats, Aaron Rodgers makes headlines on "The Pat McAfee Show"

Many of the off-the-field headlines Rodgers makes these days are when he goes on "The Pat McAfee Show," which airs on YouTube and previously on Sirius XM. McAfee is a former punter in the NFL who has built a media empire in recent years.

It was on McAfee's show where Rodgers doubled down against COVID-19 vaccinations in 2021 and railed against the NFL for its health and safety protocols. While he uses the platform to discuss on-the-field moments every Tuesday in-season, Rodgers has pulled the curtain back significantly on himself during his appearances, where he has furthered discussions about his use of ayahuasca and Panchakarma cleanses, along with highlighting his love of reading in a book club. Rodgers also frequently calls out reporters and media members when they question his commitment or when he doesn't like news coverage about him.

He has continued his regular appearances on McAfee's show during this offseason and earlier this month made headlines for announcing he was going on a four-day darkness retreat to self-reflect about his life in silence.

"I never watch Pat McAfee with Aaron Rodgers," Smith said. "I watch Pat McAfee with everyone else. I have no interest in seeing Aaron Rodgers on Pat McAfee’s show because Aaron Rodgers just keeps talking, talking, talking instead of winning, winning, winning."

Stephen A. Smith falsely claims that Aaron Rodgers hasn't won a playoff game since appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show"

Smith went on to repeatedly claim that Rodgers hasn't won a playoff game since appearing on McAfee's show, a statement that is false.

"He has not won a postseason game," Smith said. "That’s not Pat McAfee’s fault. He’s got a great show."

Rodgers began his Tuesday appearances on McAfee's show at the beginning of the 2020 season. Rodgers and the Packers won one playoff game that season — they defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 32-18, as the NFC's top seed in a divisional round game at Lambeau Field before falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the next week.

A year later, the Packers were ousted by the San Francisco 49ers at home in the divisional round as the NFC's top-seeded team for the second straight season.

The Packers failed to make the playoffs in 2022.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: ESPN's Stephen A. Smith blasts Aaron Rodgers' commitment to football