As the saying goes, football isn’t about the X’s and the O’s but the Jimmy’s and the Joe’s. The adage was to point out talent beats scheme, but it also recognizes football is a team sport made up of people and relationships. The quality of those dictates how successful a team will (or won’t) be. Before training camp begins, it’s worth examining the player-coach relationships that are most important to the 2025 Pittsburgh Steelers.
QB Aaron Rodgers & OC Arthur Smith
The most obvious and most important relationship is one that’s been written about plenty and will be discussed more throughout the season. Results will drive the narrative. If Pittsburgh plays well, the relationship went great. If not, fingers will get pointed at both.
The relationship between any coordinator and quarterback is critical. The two must be in lock-step. But the Steelers’ situation is unique. It’s a one-season shot in the hopes that Smith and Rodgers can get on the same page and discover a winning formula—two veterans in their profession with different backgrounds. Rodgers has chucked the ball around his entire career, while no offensive coordinator loves running as much as Smith.
Will Rodgers go on Pat McAfee’s show and make passive-aggressive comments about the team’s play calling? If so, how does Smith react when asked? Can Rodgers fit in Smith’s system that often asks quarterbacks to play under center and boot out, two things a 41-year-old Rodgers isn’t keen on? The relationship can work. But like any marriage, it’ll take a good-faith effort from both.
CB Joey Porter Jr. & DBs Coach Gerald Alexander
Pittsburgh opted against renewing previous DBs Coach Grady Brown’s contract in favor of bringing back Alexander, who served as a defensive assistant in 2022 and 2023. While we will never know explicitly, Porter’s lack of progress in key areas is likely one reason why Brown didn’t come back. Porter has held his own, consistently facing No. 1 receivers and allowing just one touchdown in two seasons. Still, his penalties are a glaring issue that must be cleaned up.
That’s Alexander’s mission. He must teach Porter in a way Brown couldn’t. Alexander has already offered his theory, getting Porter to focus on playing the ball more than the man. That eliminates penalties and hopefully increases his interceptions, picking off just two passes in two years.
If Porter has a big year, an equally large payday awaits next offseason. If there isn’t progress, Porter might not be the lockdown corner Pittsburgh hoped they were getting.
QB Will Howard & QBs Coach Tom Arth
So long as the top two quarterbacks stay healthy, Howard won’t see the field as a rookie. Instead, his mission is to watch and learn from veterans like Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. His most valuable reps will be in the meeting room, film room, and practice field, working behind the scenes with quarterbacks coach Tom Arth. Arth is a stickler about having great footwork and good passers being created from the ground up. Continuing to refine his mechanics and hone his craft while creating NFL-caliber study habits (the good news is he’s coming from a big-time program and received NFL coaching) will help him develop to potentially compete for a role in 2026. Howard is the only even potential long-term starter on the roster right now.
Arth won’t have a whole lot to teach Rodgers or even Rudolph. Instead, his lump of clay is Howard.
ILB Carson Bruener & STs Coordinator Danny Smith
Bruener certainly isn’t critical to the Steelers’ overall success this season. Frankly, his name is a stand-in for a lot of players in his shoes: Donte Kent, the undrafted rookies, the Reserve/Future skill players fighting to hang around, players on or outside the roster bubble, hoping to stick. Those paths are forged not on their side of the ball but through special teams.
Bruener was drafted, in part, due to his special-teams background. A multi-phase dynamo throughout his Washington career, Bruener is battling veteran Mark Robinson for potentially the final inside linebacker spot. Robinson has established himself as a strong special-teams player and won’t easily give up his roster spot. Someone like Danny Smith, who doesn’t have final roster decision-making but plenty of sway, could break the tie.
OT Broderick Jones & Offensive Line Coach Pat Meyer
An obvious one here. Many are questioning Jones’ future, and even more dislike Meyer’s return as offensive line coach. But these are the cards Pittsburgh’s playing, so you might as well root for them to make it work. Jones is in a make-or-break third season with the optimistic view that his return to left tackle, along with good health, more overall offensive line stability, and the veteran presence of LG Isaac Seumalo, will improve his game.
But he’s gotta prove it. Mentally, he must lock in and know the snap count and his assignment. Physically, he must improve his punch and avoid dropping his eyes. Meyer has to help him every step of the way, getting the light to come on so Jones’ very real talent can shine through.
LB Patrick Queen & Head Coach Mike Tomlin + DC Teryl Austin
Bit of a catch-all here. Queen has a new positional coach in Scott McCurley, but his relationships go beyond that. Queen centers the defense of a defensive-centered coaching staff and a unit still being leaned on as the Steelers’ strengths. Queen is coming off an underwhelming first year in Pittsburgh and takes the blame for some of the team’s communication issues that must be rectified.
Getting on the same page and being able to handle green-dot duties while playing well individually are key. Queen should be working closely with Tomlin and Austin, two key defensive game planners, while being a conduit to serve whatever weekly message gets presented to win the week.
