On a bright and sunny Pittsburgh afternoon, a new era of Steelers football officially began when Aaron Rodgers took part in his first practice as a member of the black and gold.
Given how the past few months went, the scene of a 41-year-old Rodgers wearing a Steelers uniform and slinging passes around the team’s practice facility was surreal. It begged the question as to why Rodgers decided to sign with the Steelers, his third team in four years.
“I think 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.”
Rodgers said his decision to come to Pittsburgh came from within.
“I don’t need it. For my ego, I don’t need it to keep playing,” Rodgers said. “A lot of decisions that I’ve made over my career and 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. So this was a decision that was best for my soul. I felt like being here with [Tomlin] and the guys they got here and the opportunity here was best for me. I’m excited to be here.”
Rodgers later reinforced the role that Tomlin played in his decision to sign with the team. The Steelers, who had initially brought Rodgers in for a visit back in March, decided to sit and wait for Rodgers to handle matters in his personal life before he eventually made the decision to continue his career in Pittsburgh.
“Again, the rapport that fell in between me and Mike made it to where as I was going through my personal stuff, there wasn’t any other option for me,” Rodgers said. “It was here or not play.”
Regarding his decision to continue playing, Rodgers gave a philosophical answer that has become a trademark of his unique personality.
“I just want to have fun,” he said. “I want to enjoy the game. The game’s 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 — by playing this game. So just want to give love back to the game. Enjoy it. Pass on my knowledge to my teammates, and, you know, try and find ways to help lead the team.”
One of the teammates that will likely be the beneficiary of Rodgers’ knowledge is rookie quarterback Will Howard, a sixth-round pick who is just four months removed from helping lead Ohio State to a national title and has made a quick impression on his new teammate. Rodgers said that he looks forward to mentoring Howard, similarly to how he worked with Packers quarterback Jordan Love during their three seasons together in Green Bay.
“Will is a good kid,” Rodgers said. “We’ve gotten to talk a little bit. I thought he did really well today. You know, he seems pretty bright, not too big for him, going through the progressions really well. But yeah, I mean, I’m gonna be with him every single day, in every single meeting. Found my seat next to him today in the offensive meeting — whether or not that sticks — right next to Will Howard. So I’m going to help him out as much as I can.”
Tight end Darnell Washington also made an early impression on Rodgers, who went as far as to compare the 6-foot-7 Washington to one of his more accomplished Packers teammates.
“I told Darnell today, I haven’t had a tight end like him since Marcedes [Lewis], and Marcedes [is an] all-time great. Darnell is like a young Marcedes; able to do things in the passing game, dominate the line of scrimmage.”
Rodgers was also asked several questions about his role with the Steelers. Regarding his role at minicamp, Rodgers said that Tomlin wants him to focus on learning the offense before he takes part in live drills.
“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,” he said. “So I’m just, I’m learning. I’m gonna go through the individual stuff. I think that’s what Mike wants me to do. And I told Mike, if he wants me to practice. I’ll practice. But I think he said he just wants me to stick to the individual until I got the offense down.”
Rodgers appeared to take exception when he was asked whether he anticipates having the freedom to audible “as he sees fit.” That was somewhat of a touchy subject during his time with Mike McCarthy in Green Bay.
“I don’t understand that last term, take over when I see fit,” Rodgers said. “I mean, I’ve called some two-minute over the years, but the idea that somehow I need to — or have spent most of my career playing outside of an offensive system — is just not correct. So I’m gonna learn the offense, and [offensive coordinator] Arthur [Smith] and I are going to talk a bunch this summer. And if there’s things that I like that I’d like to see in the offense, Arthur, I’m sure, is going to put it in, but he knows how to call a game. I know how to get us in the right spot based on what’s called. There’s two or three plays called in the huddle. Sometimes my job is to get us in the right play.”
As far as the 2025 Steelers, Rodgers was asked if he feels that he is the player who can help Pittsburgh snap its playoff win drought, which is currently at eight years. While Rodgers made several things clear during his first day as a Steeler (he said, for example, that he couldn’t stand the helmet he wore on Tuesday after his old helmet no longer passed NFL safety standards), he wasn’t ready to publicly make any bold predictions.
“We’re day one of mini camp for me,” he said. “So I’m just taking it one day at a time.”
While he was mostly stoic during his first presser as a Steeler, Rodgers did display his lighter side when he was asked if he anticipates working with his new teammates between the end of minicamp and the start of training camp.
“I’ve to got to try and convince them to come out to Malibu, California,” Rodgers said with a smile. “It’s going to be a tough sell.”
