Aaron Rodgers landing in Pittsburgh might’ve been inevitable but Rodgers wasn’t going to make it official until he felt truly comfortable signing on the dotted line. That came in early June, nearly three months into free agency, after the NFL Draft and voluntary OTAs. While fans were left in the dark over his status and future, Rodgers made sure to let the Steelers know exactly where he stood.
Speaking at a concert in early July that uploaded to YouTube yesterday, Rodgers offered new details about his offseason conversations with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers.
“The entire process, I had talks with him and [GM Omar Khan],” Rodgers said at a concert hosted by the rapper “Mike,” a close Rodgers friend. “And I told them the whole time I was dealing with stuff in my personal life. I can’t commit to you until I take care of my personal life.”
Rodgers’ personal life creating the delay isn’t breaking news. He shared as much during an April interview on The Pat McAfee Show. Specifics of his personal life issues aren’t fully known. But in an interview with Joe Rogan, Rodgers made a reference to friends/relatives battling cancer while later revealing he got married this offseason. Once those were resolved, or to a point where Rodgers felt enough at ease, he signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh.
As Rodgers has also cited since signing, the Steelers’ no-pressure nature of their conversations convinced the four-time NFL MVP that Pittsburgh was the right place to play.
“Never once did he make me feel like that was an issue, that was a problem, [that] I was a distraction,” Rodgers said of Tomlin. “He just talked to me like a friend from the very beginning. I just really respected how he made me feel. And from Day 1 he showed me a level of respect that I really appreciated. So when I finally felt like my personal life was in a good place to fully commit to a team, he was there. And he said, ‘Come on.’”
Rodgers signed a cheap contract that, at maximum, will only pay him $20 million. That affordable deal helped Pittsburgh pursue WR DK Metcalf, CB Jalen Ramsey, TE Jonnu Smith, and others. Before and after signing, Rodgers has consistently praised Tomlin as a coach and leader, walking the line between setting boundaries but giving players autonomy.
“Every Steeler that I’ve worked out with over the years, no one says a bad thing about him. I think one thing that’s crazy is how many, I’ll just put nicely, characters they’ve had in Pittsburgh,” Rodgers said. “That. he’s put up with and that kind of kept quiet a lot of some of the interesting personality traits. I don’t need to mention the names, they know who they are. Mike, he runs a tight ship as well as letting guys be themselves.
“And I think here’s a beautiful balance in there. Where there’s a framework for the foundation of the team but also a freedom to express yourself in that.”
Rodgers is clearly referring to Antonio Brown, George Pickens, and the other high-strung wide receivers Pittsburgh has rostered in recent years. Several players who had their best seasons in Pittsburgh before immediately falling apart elsewhere. Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson are the most notable examples, their careers imploding the second they were traded.
That philosophy meshes well with Rodgers, a person who clearly enjoys getting to make weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show to talk about sports, politics, and life. He hasn’t guaranteed to return for his weekly Tuesday interviews this season but it seems likely to occur.
In his 21st NFL season, Rodgers still wants to win. Coming off a five-win campaign with the New York Jets, the Steelers’ consistent competitiveness served as another draw.
“There’s also only about a dozen, really eight to 12 teams every year that can win it,” Rodgers said. “And when you look at the landscape of the 32 in the NFL, Pittsburgh is always gonna be one of those eight to 12.”
Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season since 2003, played only one “meaningless” game under Tomlin, and have made the playoffs in four of the last five years. But the Steelers have failed to get over the hump in recent years, still in search of their first playoff win since 2016. Adding Rodgers is hopefully one piece to changing that and if so, he’ll have proven to be worth the wait.
