Mike Tomlin finally got Aaron Rodgers to sign a contract—so what happens between them next throughout the Steelers’ season? Rodgers isn’t always gotten along with his coaches, to put it lightly. While he has openly talked about his respect for Tomlin, he has never played for him before.
Mike Tomlin has a history of dealing with mercurial personalities, and Aaron Rodgers would certainly qualify for that. But Rodgers is also more outspoken than they usually are, perhaps more willing to show how they make the sausage. At this stage of his career, how might things go, especially if he isn’t running the show?
Former Steelers OC Todd Haley weighed in recently on SiriusXM. Having worked with Mike Tomlin for years, he has a more authoritative perspective than most. Though he hasn’t worked with Aaron Rodgers before, he said, “I think it’ll go just fine. I really do”.
“He’s phenomenal at handling people”, Haely said of Tomlin as he embarks on this chapter with Rodgers. “Not just players, all people within the building. A great communicator. He is not soft in any way, but he always makes you feel comfortable, even in the hard conversations”.
Haley talked specifically about handling conversations after a poor performance or a poor decision. Aaron Rodgers hasn’t played his best in recent years, and so might not be used to certain hard conversations Tomlin will have to have with him. How those conversations go could make or break this relationship
Another topic Haley touched on was Rodgers’ appearances on the Pat McAfee Show. He admitted that he would be uncomfortable at times as a coach with Rodgers going on, and wondered if he would continue it in Pittsburgh with Tomlin. In between visiting the Steelers and signing, he did appear on McAfee’s show.
Tomlin, for Haley, is “an expert at dealing with personalities”, believing Aaron Rodgers is nothing he hasn’t handled before. He did bring up George Pickens, whom the Steelers just traded, though Pickens never asked for a trade.
“I think it’ll be fine”, he concluded about the relationship Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin will have. “This is what he does. This is what makes great coaches great coaches, is that ability to interact and communicate with players and coaches and front office. For those reasons, I think It’ll be just fine. Will there be bumps in the road? There always are”.
Rodgers signed shortly before the Steelers begin minicamp, so he will have three days on the field. Then they will have a long break before training camp starts and the real work begins. Will he gather teammates to get extra work in during that time? Does he feel the work in training camp will be enough to get everyone on the same page? And if that is the case, does Tomlin agree with him?
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