Aaron Rodgers suited up for the Pittsburgh Steelers for the first time at mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, and as the newly initiated member of the team he fielded a few questions about his choice to join Pittsburgh for the upcoming 2025-26 season.
In Rodgers's opening press conference, the veteran gave a pretty simple answer as to why he picked the Steelers, pointing to coach Mike Tomlin as one of the pivotal factors in his decision. He also called it a decision "that was best for my soul."
"I think it starts with Mike Tomlin," Rodgers said. "I've been a fan of his for a long time. There are few iconic franchises, I played for one of them for 18 years, this is another one of those. There's something special about this area, so many great quarterbacks are from Pittsburgh.
"I feel like Pittsburgh has been a part of my career from the beginning. Playing for Mike McCarthy for 13 years, having Tom Clements as my quarterback coach forever...I don't want to forget anybody, but a lot of yinzers in my life."
QB Aaron Rodgers on why the #Steelers is a good fit for him: pic.twitter.com/57u46qBfXD
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 10, 2025
"There was conversations with other organizations for sure," continued Rodgers. "But again, the rapport that fell in between me and Mike [Tomlin] made it to where as I was going through my personal stuff, there wasn't any other option for me. It was here or not play."
Rodgers, 41, is on his third franchise of his NFL career after a decorated tenure with the Green Bay Packers and then a less-than-ideal two-year stint with the New York Jets. He was reportedly the Steelers' third option at quarterback this offseason but appears fired up to enter what could be his final year in the league with his new squad.
Rodgers's clear ties to the city of Pittsburgh aside, Steelers fans have had mixed emotions about seeing the vet join their team. We'll see how successful the Rodgers experiment in Pittsburgh is this fall.
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