They might not have gotten the chance to go head-to-head on the gridiron, but Aaron Rodgers and Travis Kelce could find themselves in a different arena – in a debate.
During his weekly appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers spoke about calling out Kelce last week as “Mr. Pfizer,” for the star tight end’s ads for the pharmaceutical company.
Kelce responded by commenting that he didn’t expect to be caught in the ‘Vax wars,” with Rodgers, before pointing out that the former MVP’s current team, the New York Jets, are owned by Woody Johnson, heir to Johnson & Johnson – which also produces COVID-19 vaccines.
“I mean, the Johnsons have been great to me. So I don’t mind you calling me ‘Mr. Johnson & Johnson,’”
Rodgers said. “Woody and Christopher and their families, they’ve been great. I don’t play for the Johnson & Johnson corporation, I play for the New York Jets. So, I mean, you know, I made a tiny little joke about a guy shilling for a, you know, potentially — it’s not potentially, but it’s a, you know, corrupt company and everybody kind of loses their minds over it.”
Rodgers then took it a step further, calling for Kelce to invite him onto his New Heights podcast, which the Chiefs star hosts with his brother, Eagles lineman Jason Kelce, to debate the merits of vaccination.
“Well, there’s a lot of propaganda out there,” Rodgers said. “Lot of propaganda out there. Listen, you know, Mr. Pfizer said he didn’t think he’d be in a vax war with me … This ain’t a war, homey, this is conversation. But if you wanna have some sort of duel, debate, have me on the podcast, come on the show. Let’s have a conversation.”
The injured Jets quarterback also suggested that each player could have a so-called “second” to help them out on the matter. Rodgers said he would have Robert Kennedy Jr. at his side while Kelce could tag in Anthony Fauci, the former U.S. director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
“Let’s do it like in John Wick IV, right? So we both have a second, right? So somebody to help us out. I’m gonna take my man RFK, Jr.”
“And he can have, you know, Tony Fauci or some other Pharmacrat, and we can have a conversation about this.”
With his Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Denver Broncos on Thursday night, Kelce has yet to respond to the challenge.
But, should it happen, we expect both sides to get in a few jabs.