The Aaron Rodgers waiting game is still going on. At this point, it is unclear what Rodgers is going to choose to do, and when he’ll announce that decision. The Pittsburgh Steelers seem content to wait on Rodgers, though. He visited their building last Friday, and the Steelers have been courting Rodgers despite his status as a controversial figure. Drama has followed Rodgers recently. However, FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz recently revealed that some people in the Steelers’ organization aren’t overly concerned with that.
“One of the arguments that is being made internally there is Mike Tomlin had Ben Roethlisberger, who was not dissimilar from Aaron Rodgers in terms of big ego, Hall of Famer,” Schultz said Tuesday on NFL on FOX’s YouTube channel. “There’s going to be some other stuff, but he’s going to produce.
“Now, Rodgers, he did not produce last year at the level we’re used to seeing or we’re accustomed to him performing at. Obviously, the year before he has the Achilles. But the argument is, ‘If we bring in Aaron Rodgers, this organization, this coach is stable enough and has the experience to handle it.’”
It’s true that Roethlisberger ruffled some feathers during his tenure with the Steelers. He wasn’t shy about criticizing teammates in the media. Maybe the best example is when Roethlisberger made some comments about Antonio Brown after the Steelers’ loss to the Denver Broncos in 2018.
Roethlisberger threw an interception in the end zone on a potential game-tying pass to Brown. During a radio spot the following week, Roethlisberger seemed to put some of the blame for that play on Brown. The wide receiver didn’t seem to appreciate those comments, and it seemed to hurt his relationship with Roethlisberger.
That’s similar to some of the criticism that has been aimed at Rodgers. He hasn’t been afraid to speak his mind in the past. Last year, he made comments about Mike Williams’ route running that seemed to irritate the receiver. Those comments were similar to the ones Roethlisberger made about Brown. Rodgers could create some frustration in the locker room if he does that in Pittsburgh.
While Tomlin has deftly managed big personalities in the past, it might not be fair to directly compare Rodgers to Roethlisberger. The biggest difference would be that Rodgers is completely new to the Steelers. Roethlisberger was their franchise quarterback for almost 20 years. He had earned the right to speak his mind a little more, even if he was wrong to do so sometimes.
In contrast, if Rodgers signs with the Steelers, he’ll be the new guy. There might be a little more friction if he speaks freely about his teammates. George Pickens and DK Metcalf have been prone to outbursts before.
For what it’s worth, many of Rodgers’ former teammates have mostly good things to say about him. It feels like he’s generally been liked by his peers. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t any risk in the Steelers signing him. Tomlin has dealt with headaches before, so maybe he could soothe over any issues that eventually arise with Rodgers in Pittsburgh.
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