Charles Barkley has a different idea of how to handle a farewell tour than Aaron Rodgers.
The “Inside the NBA” analyst took a shot at the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback during a Wednesday appearance on Adam Schein’s Mad Dog Sports Radio show.
When Schein compared their retirement plans, Barkley objected to the way Rodgers has discussed people from his past.
“But I tell you what though, I’m not gonna bury everybody going out the door like Aaron,” Barkley said. “I’m not gonna burn every bridge and talk bad about all my exes on my way out the door like he’s doing.”
Schein’s comparison came after Barkley reiterated that this would be his last season on “Inside the NBA”.
Barkley’s response shifted the conversation from when the two men intend to retire to how they are spending their remaining time in the spotlight.
Rodgers said in May that the 2026 season would be his last. Barkley’s jab concerned his public comments about former relationships, rather than his play for Pittsburgh.
What Aaron Rodgers said about his exes
Rodgers discussed former fiancee Shailene Woodley and former girlfriend Danica Patrick during the Sept. 10 episode of Cam Heyward’s “Not Just Football” podcast.
He argued that their public profiles benefited from their relationships with him and accused them of drawing attention by discussing him.
“The height of their fame is when they were with me,” Rodgers said. “They get clicks when they say my name. Just like the idiots on TV get clicks when they say my name because I am a lightning rod.”
Rodgers also urged the women to stop discussing him publicly. Those were his characterizations of the relationships, not independently established accounts of what happened between them.
Barkley did not name either woman in his remarks. His criticism was broader: He did not want his own departure to become an occasion for airing grievances about former partners.
Barkley’s retirement plans have an Ernie Johnson caveat
Barkley had already linked his future on “Inside the NBA” to Johnson’s plans during a September appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast.” He described the two as planning to leave together, with room for that timeline to change if Johnson reconsidered.
That qualification remained in an Oct. 1 appearance on “The Next Round.” Barkley said he would consider staying another year or longer if Johnson changed his mind.
His latest comments to Schein reiterated his intention to leave after this season. They also made clear that, whatever happens with that plan, he does not want Rodgers’ approach to former relationships to be the comparison that defines his exit.
