Aaron Rodgers left Jaylen Warren in no doubt that he had executed the wrong play during the clash with the Cincinnati Bengals. With slightly more than six minutes left on the clock in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ encounter with the Bengals, the ball was snapped and Rodgers handed it to Warren. Instantly, the running back pitched it back to Rodgers, catching the experienced quarterback completely off guard.
With the ball back in his possession, Rodgers moved several feet to his right before launching it into the ground to terminate the play. Once play had halted, it became apparent the quarterback was thoroughly displeased with the star running back for returning the ball when it was obvious that wasn’t the planned manoeuvre, as he went head-to-head with Joe Flacco.
Whilst the Steelers prepared for their next move, cameras captured Rodgers questioning Warren: “What are you doing? That was not a flea flicker.”
Fans on social media were left wondering how such a significant miscommunication occurred between Rodgers and Warren, resulting in a squandered down.
“How is that possible? Would that create an illegal man downfield? Sounds like Rodgers had the wrong play,” one fan posted on X following the incident.
A second fan observed: “I literally don’t think that was supposed to be a flea flicker,” while a third confirmed the running back had botched the play call, commenting: “Warren ran the wrong play you can see Aaron mouth it wasn’t the flea flicker.”
Though the play ultimately didn’t prove costly to the Steelers, the Bengals seized the lead in the second quarter, with Flacco linking up with star wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins as Cincinnati capitalised on the opportunities presented by Pittsburgh’s defence.
Despite the communication mishap, it’s evident that Rodgers is relishing his stint in Pittsburgh, as demonstrated by his resurgence following two years in New York. That said, the star signal caller’s chances of returning as a Steeler remain uncertain.
ESPN recently suggested that the odds of Rodgers coming back to the Steelers sit at roughly five per cent, considering the signal caller’s age and his post-season intentions.
“It’s this low because Rodgers has basically said this will be his final year,” Dan Graziano said.
“It’s this high because people sometimes change their minds or don’t really mean the things they say. Everything is going quite well for Rodgers in Pittsburgh, where he’s playing on a one-year, $14.15 million deal.
“But he does turn 42 years old in December, and it would stand to reason that he’d at least be considering retirement, even if he might eventually change his mind.”
Graziano’s remarks follow the 41-year-old virtually confirming that this season would be his last. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is it,” Rodgers admitted during his stint on ‘The Pat McAfee Show.
“That’s why we just did a one-year deal. Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything, so this was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had.”