Aaron Rodgers appeared to take a jab at fellow NFL star Travis Kelce over his ads promoting the flu and COVID-19 vaccines by referring to him as “Mr. Pfizer”—while also missing a key point when about pharmaceutical giants.

 

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, quarterback Rodgers gave a rundown on his team the New York Jets’ Sunday showdown against Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs edged a 23-20 victory over the home team.

“[It was a] moral victory out there, that we hung with the champs and that our defense played well,” said Rodgers. “Pat [Mahomes] didn’t have a crazy game, and Mr. Pfizer [Kelce], we kind of shut him down a little bit. He didn’t have his, like, crazy impact game.”

While Rodgers didn’t explicitly identify the target of his jab, it was clear that he was referring to Kelce, who just days ago unveiled a new commercial promoting the availability of the COVID and flu shots this fall. The ad is a partnership with Pfizer.

The comments weren’t particularly shocking, given Rodgers’ vocal stance against the COVID vaccines. He faced criticism late in 2021 when, after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, the then Green Bay Packers quarterback revealed that he had not been vaccinated as he expressed skepticism about the vaccine’s efficacy.

His comments were all the more controversial because he told reporters back in August 2021 that he had been immunized against COVID-19, though he didn’t detail how. He isolated for 10 days in November 2021 after testing positive.

As Rodgers’ COVID vaccine skepticism continues today, his “Mr. Pfizer” swipe at tight end Kelce is worthy of a raised eyebrow, given the source of his income. The Jets—to whom Rodgers signed earlier this year—are owned by Woody and Christopher Johnson, heirs to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune.

Johnson & Johnson was also one of the pharmaceutical giants that released a COVID vaccine. However, Rodgers—who is currently recovering from an ankle injury—went an alternative route to combat the virus.