Ryan Clark has made it clear that he is no fan ofAaron Rodgers. In December, the formerPittsburgh Steelerssafetycalled the team's new quarterback a "fraud"for Rodgers' criticism about the way the NFL is covered now. In April, Clark said thefree agent situation with Rodgers made him sick, adding the entire situation was mishandled. NowRodgers has agreed to a contract with the Steelers, meaning he'll suit up for Clark's former team this season. As expected, the safety-turned-analyst has some thoughts on the 41-year-old's new NFL venture. "This is the worst-case scenario forPittsburgh Steelersfans,"Clark said in an appearance on "SportsCenter" following the news. "It continues to keep you mired in mediocrity. Will this team be better? Have they gotten better in the quarterback room? Absolutely. Will they contend for that championship that Pittsburgh Steelers' people, fans, and the organization thinks is the standard? No, they won't." While Clark did acknowledge that Rodgers will eventually be in the Hall of Fame one day, he pointed out that it's too little, too late for a guy that is potentially past his prime. "Five years from when both of these men retire, one of them will give the most motivational Hall of Fame speech we've ever heard," Clark said. "Another will probably give the most interesting – and it won't mean anything." He went on to add that they'll fight for a spot in the wild card round and then probably be going home during that week, all to look for a franchise quarterback again next offseason. After being given the night to let the news settle in, Clark was back at it when he appeared on ESPN's "Get Up" Friday morning. "I'm not here to bash Aaron Rodgers,"Clark said. "I believe that Aaron Rodgers is an upgrade to Mason Rudolph. I even believe that Aaron Rodgers is a slight upgrade to what Russell Wilson was last year. Aaron Rodgers is no longer elite. Aaron Rodgers doesn't walk into the building with the cache that says to the rest of the organization, 'this is our guy that's gonna allow us to win a championship.'" Clark continued, saying this is what the Steelers had to do to compete this season, but that won't be enough to compete with teams like theKansas City Chiefs,Buffalo BillsorBaltimore Ravens. "You can get Aaron Rodgers so you can not stink," Clark said. "That's it. Other than that, all of us are gonna watch the divisional round, the championship round and the Super Bowl together." All the NFL news on and off the field.Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Ryan Clark says Aaron Rodgers signing keeps Steelers in 'mediocrity'
