Fox Sports’ One analyst and Pittsburgh Steelers’ fan Joy Taylor isn’t happy about Aaron Rodgers skipping the first week of the team’s OTAs. Earlier this week, she ripped Rodgers for missing out on an important time to get acclimated to his new surroundings should he sign with Pittsburgh and play in 2025.
“Mandatory or not, where is your pride?” [she said on FS1’s Speak.](https://x.com/SpeakOnFS1/status/1927498252594692419?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1927498252594692419%7Ctwgr%5E7f7d82c213fc7ae1b631d49d2fa13609cbd5ef5d%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsteelersdepot.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D820808action%3Dedit) “Where is your dignity? Where is your respect for the game? Where is your respect for the organization?”
Rodgers has hinted he’ll eventually sign with the Steelers and [Art Rooney II remains publicly confident it’ll happen,](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/04/art-rooney-ii-believes-steelers-will-get-word-soon-from-aaron-rodgers/) as do media insiders who believe it’s inevitable. But he’s yet to formally sign his contract or offer a timeline for when he’ll officially decide his future. Neither side has seemed to set a deadline, meaning there’s a chance the saga drags into late July.
For a 41-year-old veteran like Rodgers, showing up for a handful of light workouts might not be beneficial. But Taylor believes it’s just as important for everyone else to get to know him before training camp begins.
“He’s never played there before,” she said. “He doesn’t know any of his teammates. He doesn’t know the streets to get to the facility. He doesn’t know the doctors. He doesn’t know the rehab crew. He doesn’t know anybody. He doesn’t know where to get his smoothies. Nothing. Why would you not be there?”
Teammates and doctors might be more important than his smoothie selections, but Taylor’s point is fair. The spring serves as a chance to lay the foundation for himself and the rest of the offense. The Steelers have a young and new group, and the more time they spend with their starting quarterback, the better off they’ll be come September.
Taylor believes Rodgers doesn’t have the clout to skip out on sessions even if they’re voluntary and he’s not under contract.
“You won five games last year. The year before that you tore your Achilles. The year before that you missed the playoffs,” she said.
Rodgers last made the postseason in 2021, making the NFC Championship game with the Green Bay Packers. The year after, his final one with Green Bay, the Packers slumped to an 8-9 finish. Traded to the New York Jets for the 2023 season, Rodgers tore his Achilles four days into the regular season. Last year, the Jets won five games in a year of chaos.
Pittsburgh hasn’t had an issue making the playoffs. But winning in the postseason is another story. For Taylor, Rodgers missing spring workouts doesn’t help his or the team’s cause of breaking those droughts. Nor does it help Rodgers to find the best spot for a Mango Banana smoothie.