Kurt Warner has had a rough week of replies on X, and he is now laughing about it. The NFL Network analyst posted a sarcastic take on how the criticism has escalated since he botched a name on a Steelers broadcast.
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“Today we have stepped up from ‘you’re still salty’ to: ‘You were never really that good at QB (I disagree), definitely nowhere close to Aaron (I can agree), and you don’t belong in HOF (I understand the argument)… so you are an idiot of an analyst!'”
Warner then added a joke about the argument itself.
“Haha, reminds me of when I was 12 and got in a debate & the person had nothing of substance to say, so response was, ‘Well, you’re just stupid!'”
The mix-up happened on Sunday, October 25, when the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the New Orleans Saints 16-10 at Stade de France in Paris. Warner was on the call for NFL Network alongside Dave Pasch and Jason Kelce.
While praising Steelers running back Jaylen Warren, he kept calling him Tyler Warren, the Indianapolis Colts tight end. One of his lines on-air was:
“Not when you’ve got Tyler Warren on the field… Nobody better in the league at the running back spot of yards-after-catch than Tyler Warren.”
Jaylen Warren finished with 101 rushing yards on 18 carries and three catches for 36 yards, so the praise was earned. Reports differ on how many times Warner slipped, with some saying three. Warner himself said:
“Haha, sorry, 1 play… had Tyler Warren 2 weeks ago and mentioned him in game, it carried over! I’m SORRY… forgive me!”
“Yes, I called JAYLEN Warren ‘Tyler’ today after calling Colts game & referencing him in today’s game. My bad, so sorry … it’s stinks as an announcer when you do that & unfortunately it won’t be my last time bc sometimes u just react & misspeak! I own it… and JAYLEN was awesome today, so hopefully I gave him enough LOVE at other times!!”
One fan was less willing to excuse the repeated mistakes, arguing that “once is a mistake,” but making the same error multiple times showed Warner had simply been unprepared.
That is where the Super Bowl XLIII history came back in. Warner’s Arizona Cardinals lost that game 27-23 to Pittsburgh on February 1, 2009, and some Steelers fans have used it against him ever since. Warner had also brought up that loss during the Saints game, and it drew fresh jabs. He told fans to lighten up.
“People, I’m just having a little fun at my Super Bowl loss to the #steelers; relax, please! I’m not bitter; I know SA had his feet down & they should have won… but like anyone, I don’t take myself too seriously & can still have fun with it all.”
On Wednesday, Warner went on The Rich Eisen Show and said the Steelers, now 5-2, struggle to score and could have had trouble against AFC contenders. Fans then called him bitter.
“But you are, in fact, salty because the Steelers beat you in Super Bowl XLIII.”
Warner answered the claim directly.
“What is SALTY??? Am I disappointed I lost the SB, YES!!!”
He also said that it did not mean he blames the Steelers, who had great players make great plays to beat his team. He called the salty claim “an easy way to deflect” from his points about the current roster.
So the cycle goes on. A name mix-up led to an apology; the apology led to a Super Bowl argument, and now the argument has reached his Hall of Fame case. The Steelers host the Browns on November 1, and Warner will likely have more takes ready.