Aaron Rodgers is the Steelers starting quarterback. That still feels odd to type. Rodgers spent most of his career with the Green Bay Packers and defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. At that time, Rodgers was the most talented quarterback these eyes had ever seen. Much has changed since then, as Rodgers is 41 years old and a fresh set of eyes on an offensive system that has grown stale for Pittsburgh. The Steelers may not win the Super Bowl this season, but they will benefit from having Rodgers in the locker room. One way or another, Rodgers will expose the Steelers for what they are – possibly on the Pat McAfee podcast. Typically, that'd be a bad thing, as Mike Tomlin isn't a fan of unnecessary drama. In this case, I'm in favor.
The Steelers could use a cleanse. Yes, really. I don't agree much with Rodgers off-field views. He's a weird guy who subscribes to the most extreme version of the MAHA movement. I'm not going to hang in the dark for days at a time. Hard pass on that one. However, he's also great at exposing the root cause of the problem – such is supposed to be the dream of functional medicine, after all. Sometimes, the root cause is Rodgers, which was the case in Green Bay. In New York, the root cause was ownership, though we didn't know that until after the quarterback was off the roster.
Pittsburgh has many of the same problems, but no one has been willing to call them on it. There's a reason for that, as the Steelers are a storied organization with a long, historic past. That being said, they haven't won a playoff game in nearly a decade. Tomlin's teams barely make the playoffs every year, and tend to lose in painful fashion in the AFC Wild Card round.
Rodgers has helped the Steelers in some ways already. Hopefully there is more drama to come.
3. Aaron Rodgers needs Roman Wilson to believe in himself
Rodgers has a habit of getting the best of his wide receivers. He also isn't afraid to call them out when necessary, especially when they are younger and still developing their skillset at the professional level. At 41 years old, Rodgers has earned that right. He is a future Hall of Famer, and he knows what a Pro Bowl wide receiver looks like. Rodgers has played with the likes of Donald Driver, Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson.
If Wilson wants to mold his game off one of those players, Rodgers is the perfect quarterback to work with. It didn't take long for Rodgers to call Wilson out in training camp for his lack of confidence in his own game. That's inexcusable, especially at a position that thrive on one-on-one battles.
“I think he’s improving every day,” said Rodgers. “You can’t skew the results from the details. You look at his game the other night, he made a couple splash plays. But we’re going to coach him hard. His receiver coach, Art [Smith], and myself on the details, because the details are what make the difference. And even though he had a couple of big plays, there’s some room for improvement there. Wouldn’t say anything if we just thought he was going to be a guy, just any guy that could you throw in. But I think he has a chance to be a big-time talent in the league. So, we’re going to hold him to a high standard.”
That's high praise from Rodgers, but also note the room for improvement. There's nowhere to go but up for Wilson, who was clearly being handled with kid gloves before he arrived.
2. Failing to develop a long-term Steelers QB option
Rodgers has done more in his brief time with the Steelers to develop young quarterbacks than Mike Tomlin ever has. That is the sad state of affairs when you take a brief look at the Pittsburgh QB room. The Steelers failed both Kenny Pickett and Justin Fields. This April, they selected Will Howard out of Ohio State late in the NFL Draft.
Howard was hurt this preseason, but did show plenty of promise both in rookie camp and in the early stages of training camp. He is by no means expected to start this year unless Rodgers and Mason Rudolph fall down a well. Still, Rodgers has taken the young quarterback – who it should be noted he does not feel threatened by – under his wing.
"He's already given me tips, little things here and there in the meeting room, on the field, in my drops, different little things. Obviously, I can't do the things that he can do mechanically, so I don't want to replicate that too much because that's pretty unique. But for the most part, everything I can learn from that guy is invaluable," Howard said of his relationship with Rodgers.
It really can be that simple. Let's hope Ben Roethlisberger is taking notes.
1. Cameron Heyward shouldn't be holding out
Rodgers and DK Metcalf appeared on Cameron Heyward's podcast earlier this week and discussed a wide variety of topics, including whether the 41-year-old quarterback would consider playing the 2026 season with the Steelers. Rodgers, forever a PR king, found a way around answering that question. He told eager Pittsburgh fans he would 'maybe' consider another season after enough pestering from DK Metcalf.
Also notable from that podcast appearance is that Rodgers and Metcalf took a sarcastic jab at Heyward for his contract status with the Steelers. Heyward signed an revised deal with the Steelers just last year, and now wants a raise. I can understand his motive, as Heyward was an All-Pro last season. However, he didn't really bet on himself, and thus lost. Heyward is the 22nd highest-paid player at his position in football. He deserves to rank higher, but timing isn't on his side.
"Everything's not about you, bro," Metcalf said to Heyward. Rodgers chimed in quickly.
"Exactly, yeah," Rodgers added. "It's all about you and your money."
Heyward didn't respond to Rodgers jab, but has returned to practice since then. Both Heyward (who wants a new deal) and TJ Watt (who got one) haven't had much postseason success since they were drafted. Because of that, Steelers fans believe that one of the two dropped the baton. The previous generation of Pittsburgh football stars won Super Bowls. What happened this time around?
Rodgers was right to call Heyward out, especially this close to the regular season. It's winning time, even if money is tight.