In the wake of controversial Jeopardy! host Mike Richards stepping down from his role after offensive comments he made on a 2014 podcast resurfaced, Aaron Rodgers may want to throw his helmet back in the ring for consideration for the gig.
Rodgers, who served as a guest host of the show along with many other celebrities and former contestants who were vying to become the permanent replacement for Alex Trebek, said he “definitely” would have accepted the job prior to Richards stepping down.
“Yes, I definitely would have [accepted the job],” the reigning NFL MVP told Adam Schein of SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio, per ProFootballTalk. “I mean, if they would have figured out a way to make it work with my schedule, yeah, for sure.”
On the surface, it would seem that hosting Jeopardy! while also playing quarterback in the NFL would be damn near impossible, but, given the show’s two-day, bi-weekly taping schedule, perhaps it would actually be possible.
In an April interview with The Ringer, 37-year-old Rodgers indicated he believed he has the ability to do both.
“I don’t think I’d need to give up football to do it. They film 46 days a year. I worked 187 this year in Green Bay. That gives me, eh, 178 days to do Jeopardy! ” he said. “So I feel like I could fit 46 into that 178 and make it work. It would be a dream job for sure, and I’m not shy at all about saying I want the job. That’s how I went into it. I want an opportunity to be in the mix. I feel like I bring something different to the stage — I’m the youngest of any of the guest hosts, I’d be the youngest host of just about any major game show, I bring an audience from the NFL, and I feel like I appeal to nerdy people, too, because I was a nerd in high school and got caught in that weird phase of wanting to be a jock and an athlete and also really caring about getting good grades.”
He may have had a point because, based on the average Nielsen ratings of the guest hosts who tried to fill Trebek’s shoes, Rodgers was the third-most-watched fill-in with a 5.6 rating. Ken Jennings, who many thought would get the hosting gig, was first with 6.0, according to The Wrap. Richards came in second with a rating of 5.9.
It may not result in Rodgers getting the job, but the competition to replace Trebek is once again wide open.
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