PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a lot to say about his ultimate decision to sign with the team, but the driving force behind his decision was Mike Tomlin.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback says he had a ton of respect for Tomlin. Through consistent communication throughout the process, Rodgers and Tomlin grew close to one another.
“I think it starts with Mike Tomlin,” Rodgers said. “I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. There’s a few iconic franchises in the NFL. I played for one of them for 18 years. This is another one of those. There’s something special about — obviously 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."
Rodgers talked to other teams throughout his free agency process, including the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants. Still, none of those teams showed the patience the Steelers did with his personal issues.
Ultimately, that is what made Rodgers decide to play for the Steelers.
“I appreciate the conversations with other organizations, for sure. But, again, I’ve said it. When it came between me and Mike. I made it to where, as I was going through with my personal stuff, there was no other option. It was here and not play.”
The other option for Rodgers was retirement, but he realized as the offseason went on that he was not ready for it. He wants to come out with the Steelers and ‘have fun’ more than place bold expectations on himself.
Rodgers hopes to pass his knowledge on to the next generation of players, such as Will Howard, before he retires. The decision was made from his ‘soul’ rather than his ‘ego.’
“A lot of decisions that I’ve made over my career and in life from strictly the ego, even if they turn out well, are always unfulfilling. But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling. This is a decision that was best for my soul,” Rodgers said. “...I just want to have fun here. I want to enjoy the game. The game has given me a ton. It’s hard to think of anything in my life that’s positive, that wasn’t impacted by, directly or indirectly, my playing this game. I just want to give back to the game, enjoy it, pass on my knowledge to my teammates, and try to find ways to help lead the team.”
Rodgers says he feels better coming off his Achilles injury now than 12 months ago. It has been nearly 24 months since that injury, and Rodgers feels more mobile and nimble than he did to start the season last year.
Rodgers did not want to take a shot at the Jets in the press conference, actively swerving a question about his previous organization.
He did feel like he could fully commit to the Steelers now, however, with his personal issues in the rear view mirror.
“I was dealing with a lot of things in my personal life and some things improved a little bit where I felt like I could fully be all in here with the guys,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers is excited to work with DK Metcalf, whom he called a ‘freak,’ while tight end Pat Freiermuth has blown up Rodgers’ phone over the offseason. Rodgers praised Darnell Washington and called him a young Mercedes Lewis.
Rodgers plans to bring the skill players out to Malibu for a workout during the dead period between mandatory minicamp and training camp.
As for where Rodgers goes right now, he is not taking any team reps, but Tomlin gave him a play script to follow. Rodgers says he knew offensive coordinator Arthur Smith through his relationship with Matt LaFleur, the Packers’ head coach who worked with Rodgers for four seasons.
Yet, the watching is helping Rodgers as he learns the playbook.
“I’m just going through the script. Like, (QB Coach) Tom (Arth) giving me a script so I can follow along. I’m trying to listen to the play, use my helmet, and say it back and then read it. For me, the more times that I write it or read it or hear it, the more it kind of sticks in. Again, a lot of stuff is stuff I’ve done before, but there’s some new terms and new types of motion words and different stuff. So I’m learning.” Rodgers said.
Rodgers had 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions in 2024. He went just 5-12 in his starts with the Jets, and even after they acquired Davante Adams, went just 3-8. It was a tough season for Rodgers, who also had multiple leg injuries.
The Steelers think something remains in the tank for the former four-time MVP. They zeroed in on him as their target, as a result, especially after missing on re-signing Justin Fields.
Now, Rodgers will be with the Steelers on a deal that will not break the bank and could still land them another wide receiver to help Rodgers.