Latest / The Sports Hangover Daily / Rodgers to Pittsburgh Is Finally Happening | May 8, 2026
Transcript
- Welcome to The Sports Hangover Daily, I'm Michael Benatar. Today on the show: Aaron Rodgers is heading to Pittsburgh and it looks like this is finally happening, the Thunder just demolished the Lakers without Jalen Williams, Cade Cunningham and Detroit are making Cleveland look lost, and the NFL schedule drops next week. Let's get into it. So after months of "will he, won't he," it sounds like Aaron Rodgers is gonna be a Steeler again. Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that Rodgers is visiting Pittsburgh this weekend and will likely play there in twenty twenty-six. A deal isn't done yet, but this has been the most likely outcome all offseason. And honestly? It makes sense. Rodgers threw for over thirty-three hundred yards last year, completed almost sixty-six percent of his passes, twenty-four touchdowns to just seven picks, and led Pittsburgh to a ten and six record with a playoff berth. That's a productive season. The wrinkle here is the coaching change. Mike Tomlin stepped down after that playoff exit, and now Mike McCarthy is running the show. Which means Rodgers is about to reunite with the guy who coached him in Green Bay for all those years. The Steelers already slapped the UFA tender on him — roughly fifteen million as a placeholder — so the framework is there. The question isn't whether Rodgers CAN still play. He proved that last year. The question is whether a forty-two-year-old quarterback and a brand-new coaching staff can build something deeper than a Wild Card weekend appearance. Because Pittsburgh's roster is good enough to win the division. They just need Rodgers to commit, sign the deal, and stop making everyone wait like he's picking a restaurant on a group text. Get it done already. Sticking with the NFL — the league schedule drops next Wednesday or Thursday. That's per CBS Sports. So get ready for the annual tradition of every fanbase convincing themselves they're going thirteen and four based on how the bye week falls. Also keep an eye on the Vikings GM search — Minnesota requested interviews with five candidates from the Niners, Rams, Titans, Chargers, and Seahawks. They also quietly signed Jauan Jennings to a one-year deal worth up to thirteen million. Jennings had a sneaky good year in San Francisco and could be a solid number two option in that offense. George Pickens and the Cowboys are already getting spicy. Dallas slapped the franchise tag on him — twenty-seven point three million for one year — and Stephen Jones said they "expect" Pickens to show up for the offseason program. Joe Haden went on record saying he thinks Pickens wants a long-term deal and it could get messy. I mean, when has George Pickens NOT been messy? That's kind of his whole brand at this point. And one more NFL note — Stefon Diggs was found not guilty on all charges earlier this week. The jury deliberated for less than two hours. He's now a free agent after the Patriots released him this offseason. Eighty-five catches, over a thousand yards last year. Somebody's getting a productive receiver for cheap. The only question is who picks up the phone first. Now to the NBA. The Thunder took Game Two from the Lakers, one twenty-five to one oh seven, and this one wasn't even competitive. OKC did this WITHOUT Jalen Williams, who's out with a hamstring strain. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had twenty-two. Chet Holmgren had twenty-two on just eleven shots with nine boards, four steals, and two blocks. Ajay Mitchell added twenty and Jared McCain had eighteen off the bench. The Thunder forced TWENTY-ONE turnovers from the Lakers and outshot them fifty-six percent to fifty. Austin Reaves had thirty-one for LA but was so frustrated afterward he accused official John Goble of being disrespectful. Him and LeBron were both jawing at the refs after the final buzzer. That's what losing by eighteen at home does to you. Game Three is tonight in LA at eight thirty Eastern. The Lakers need to figure something out fast because this series is slipping away. In the East, Detroit took Game Two over Cleveland, one oh seven to ninety-seven. Cade Cunningham had twenty-five and ten assists. Tobias Harris dropped twenty-one. Duncan Robinson went five of nine from three for seventeen points. The Pistons shot fifty percent from deep as a team — fourteen of twenty-eight. Cleveland? Seven of thirty-two. Twenty-one point nine percent. And in the fourth quarter, the Cavs went oh for eleven from three. That's not a slump. That's a collapse. James Harden had more turnovers than made field goals for the second straight game. Detroit's now won five in a row dating back to when Orlando had them on the brink in the first round. Game Three is Saturday in Cleveland, and the Cavs better hope that home court wakes something up because right now they look completely stuck. Here's my Hangover Take for today. I think the Anthony Richardson situation in Indianapolis is gonna be one of the biggest regrets in recent NFL history. The Colts declined his fifth-year option. He already requested a trade back in February. He started just fifteen games in three seasons. And now he's a lame duck heading into twenty twenty-six with zero long-term commitment from either side. Here's what bugs me about this — Richardson has the arm talent and athleticism that made him the fourth overall pick for a reason. But the Colts never built a real system around him. They never gave him consistent weapons. They never committed to a scheme that maximized what he does well. And now they're gonna let him walk, some team is gonna grab him for pennies, surround him with real talent, and Indy's gonna spend the next five years watching him develop into the guy they thought they were drafting. I've seen this movie before. It happened with Tannehill in Miami. It happened with Goff in LA. Sometimes the quarterback isn't the problem — the situation is. And Indianapolis just gave up on a twenty-three-year-old with generational physical tools. That's gonna sting. That's your hangover. Go hydrate. I'll see you tomorrow.