The Pittsburgh Steelers have been confirmed to be all in on signing Aaron Rodgers, with the only issue being the veteran quarterback not getting the deal done. With offseason workouts beginning soon, it would make sense that he would want to hurry up and sign somewhere so he can learn his new team and the new system as soon as possible, but that is not the case. The question remains the same: who will he play for in 2025, and when will that decision be made?
AP photo
Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin meets with former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers after a game during the 2024 NFL season.
Rodgers made an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show to set some records straight and explain what's going on in his world. In the process, he spoke about meeting with the Steelers, but he put a lot of emphasis on how he got there.
"A lot of people think I'm desperate for attention, even though I haven't talked to you [McAfee] or anybody else in three months," said Rodgers. "I did fly into a different airport; I'll tell you what I did secretly. I got a Malibu rental car, drove the Malibu rental car to the [Steelers'] facility, to the backside practice field, got let in the practice field... that was fun to kind of sneak in, sneak out."
Rodgers would continue on to praise the leaders on the offensive side of the ball for the Steelers, as well as the leader of the whole team.
"I've talked to Mike Tomlin. He's more than I even thought from afar as far as the type of person that he is," said Rodgers. "I have a lot of respect for what he's accomplished in the league. Arthur Smith, I mean talk about a guy that doesn't need to work, but he's a grinder. We've had a friendship for a couple years now, and I just like what he's all about. I like it when he's on your show."
If there is one thing that Head Coach Mike Tomlin deserves endless praise for, it's how good of a person he is and how well he relates to the players. That is obvious to any player that is somewhat close with him, and Rodgers could clearly see that from the one day that they spent together. Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith has generated a lot of respect around the league as well.
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Aaron Rodgers stands with Mike Tomlin before a game while he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
Steelers' Coach Has Strong Connection To Rodgers
Rodgers kept praising the coaching staff, and he brought up Tom Arth, the Steelers' quarterbacks coach, and the connection that they already share.
"The quarterbacks coach is actually a guy named Tom Arth," said Rodgers. "Tom Arth was in the quarterback room with me in 2006 in Green Bay in the offseason. The first offseason I ever went to the Mike McCarthy quarterback school... thankfully, I had Tom Arth, because they were crazy a** workouts that were really hard, and Tom, we gave each other some breathers here and there."
Arth was in charge of the brand new quarterback room for the 2024 season, and he seemed to handle it well, with Justin Fields developing more as a ball-protector and Russell Wilson having a career game late in the season. While the season did not end well, Arth at least helped get them to the heights of 10-3, and maybe he learned something from being a teammate of Rodgers for a short time.
USA Today
Steelers' Justin Fields throws the football in practice while coach Tom Arth watches.
Of course, Rodgers would want to endlessly praise a team that may or may not sign him, but he has been fond of Tomlin for a long time now, so that's not exactly a surprise. At the end of the day, it sounds like he would be happy to wear black and gold during the 2025 season, and he would do it for cheap.
What do you think about Rodgers' secrecy with meeting with the Steelers, as well as his praise for the coaches? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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