It took longer than many anticipated, but Aaron Rodgers is finally the quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and that’s quite exciting for a number of players on the roster ahead of the 2025 NFL season.
That includes defensive captain Cameron Heyward and veteran tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Heyward, who hosted the latest episode of his podcast “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” that published Tuesday morning, praised Rodgers’ leadership and stated that his resume is nothing to overlook when it comes to what he’ll bring to the Steelers, while Freiermuth spoke highly of Rodgers, stating he still has plenty of arm strength and is still an unbelievable quarterback that he’s excited to work with and catch passes from.
“I think it’s good. We didn’t have a lot of quarterbacks to begin with, but he brings a lot of leadership. We were talking about this last night, dude’s a four-time MVP; that is nothing to look over,” Heyward said of Rodgers, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I got a chance to meet him. Very nice and approachable, and he is just excited to get down to business.”
Heyward was able to meet with Rodgers Monday during his annual “Irons for Impact” golf event that supports The Heyward House, where Rodgers showed up and was hanging out with teammates, and pictures showed him riding around in a golf cart with new receiver DK Metcalf, and later took a group photo as well.
Throughout the offseason, Heyward has had comments on Rodgers and his status, at one point stating that he wasn’t going to do any recruiting, and that Rodgers either wanted to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, or he didn’t. Heyward believes that was all blown out of proportion, but it seemed like a common refrain among the fanbase at the time when it came to the Rodgers saga.
But now, that’s all over. Rodgers is a Steeler and he’ll get to work starting Tuesday at the Steelers’ mandatory minicamp on the South Side at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. There, things will go into overdrive for Rodgers and the Steelers, as the development process kicks into high gear.
Though there are plenty of concerns regarding the time this offseason Rodgers missed with his new team, Heyward is leaning into Rodgers’ resume as a four-time NFL MVP and a first-ballot Hall of Fame quarterback.
So, too, is Freiermuth, who should benefit big-time from the Rodgers addition.
Appearing on Heyward’s podcast, Freiermuth stated that he believes Rodgers remains an unbelievable quarterback and that he can’t wait to get to work with him.
“I’m excited, man. Obviously, I think. he’s gonna help us win. He is obviously a Hall of Fame quarterback for a reason,” Freiermuth said of Rodgers, according to video via the show. “He’s got — we’re watching some film on him. He’s got still some arm strength and he’s still an unbelievable quarterback, so I’m excited to get working with him.”
That Hall of Fame resume is key for Rodgers, and it has played on the Steelers very excited to have that type of player stepping into the mix at quarterback. Of course, the Steelers had a Hall of Fame quarterback on the roster last year in Russell Wilson and things looked good early on before crashing and burning, but Rodgers has had a better career than Wilson and is among the all-time greats at the position overall, so there’s a palpable buzz when it comes to Rodgers.
For Freiermuth, it’ll be another new quarterback he has to work with in his career, but this one feels different for him due to the reputation and resume Rodgers brings to the table.
The tape showed late last season that he still has plenty left in his right arm as he closed the season strong in the final five games, recording a 9:1 TD-INT mark, while registering a QB rating of 98.3 and throwing for 1,270 yards. On the season, he finished with 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Of course, the Jets went 5-12 and were train wreck all season long, but Rodgers individually had some moments late in the season that has some believing he can still play winning football in the right situation at this point in his career.
Heyward and Freiermuth are both excited to play with a quarterback of Rodgers’ caliber on the field, but off the field they’re also fired up to get to work with him in the locker room, meeting rooms, and more. For both Heyward and Freiermuth, they’ve heard nothing but great things about the quarterback that can be viewed as divisive when it comes to the media and the fanbase.
Both stated very clearly that they’ve heard nothing but great things about Rodgers as a teammate in the locker room. Freiermuth leaned on former Penn State teammates that have played with Rodgers to get a feel for his new quarterback.
“Yeah, I’ve heard nothing but great things about him. Every person that I’ve talked to from Penn State or I know from around the league that’s played with him says nothing but great things,” Freiermuth said of Rodgers. “He’s a great teammate, great guy to share a locker room with and stuff. So I’m excited. I’m excited calling him my quarterback, calling him my teammate and get this thing going.”
Largely, that’s all you’ve heard about Rodgers. He has been portrayed in the media as difficult to deal with and a poor teammate and mentor, specifically in his own quarterback room, but time and time again former teammates and coaches try and shoot that narrative down.
Rodgers himself has chosen to just ignore that outside noise, which has hindered him some because he’s never really pushed back on it, especially late in his career. Teammates will for him though, and Heyward leaned on a surprise former teammate of Rodgers to get the skinny on his new quarterback.
That would be New York Jets’ defensive lineman Quinnen Williams.
“For me, I was doing due diligence around the league. One guy I really trust is Quinnen Williams, so I had some conversations about that and Q [Williams] spoke so highly of him, said he was a great teammate, really loved playing with him,” Heyward said of Rodgers. “And I think he was kind of disappointed that Aaron wasn’t coming back there for another season.
“So, I think we’re in a good position where every teammate that he’s had has talked very highly of him. So, it’s definitely a step in the right direction, bringing him over here.”
The Steelers are better at quarterback right now than they were, that much is for sure. There’s a real buzz regarding Rodgers and the fit in Pittsburgh now that it’s official, and players are excited to work with him and get to know him more within the locker room.
Hopefully that excitement helps breed a winning culture and the Steelers can surprise many this season. If not, it could be a train wreck, just like 2024 was for the Jets.
Check out the full episode of “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” below.
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