Have you ever heard the proverb ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another’? We get better when we interact with others in close relationships, especially those with similar goals. Pittsburgh Steelers S Juan Thornhill understands that the better caliber of teammate he practices against, the better he gets. That’s why he’s excited for new Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers.
Thornhill has experience practicing against high-level quarterback play. After all, he faced it every day in practice during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs.
“When I was in Kansas City, we had Patrick Mahomes, and whenever we went against him each and every day, it made the game so much easier, ’cause you’re playing against one of the best quarterbacks in the league each and every day,” said Thornhill on Tuesday [per video from Pittsburgh’s DSEN YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mwP8uWvWvc). “And I feel like it’s the same thing here. Aaron Rodgers has been in the league for so long, he’s seen all the coverages. He knows what you’re gonna do. So, if you can go out there and compete and stop him, you should be able to compete and make a lot of plays against these other quarterbacks.”
Now, this isn’t the same Aaron Rodgers who was a four-time MVP, Super Bowl XLV MVP (against the Steelers, no less), four-time All-Pro, and two-time Sporting News Offensive Player of the Year. He’ll be turning 42 in December. He’s gotten older and won’t be able to move around as well as he used to.
But Aaron Rodgers has two things still going for him: [He can throw the ball really well](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/06/zip-on-that-ball-local-analyst-offers-impression-of-aaron-rodgers-debut-practice/), and he’s got his football brains. Rodgers will see mistakes made by the defense, and he can make them pay. It doesn’t matter if it’s during practice or on game day. So, the Steelers’ secondary has to be at the top of their game for each practice snap. Otherwise, Rodgers will find WR DK Metcalf or TE Pat Freiermuth for big plays.
That looks bad when every coach has their eyes on the practice field. So Juan Thornhill and his fellow defenders have to treat every practice rep as if it’s in the game. And if they practice that hard, that means game day will be that much easier.
And Thornhill believes that if he and his teammates can make plays against Aaron Rodgers, who can’t they make plays against?