Steelers Have Something That Aaron Rodgers Wants
NFL insider Albert Breer revealed in his Monday morning column for Sports Illustrated that Aaron Rodgers covets a similar culture to what he had with the Green Bay Packers. If there’s any NFL team that runs a franchise like the Packers, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both organizations play in blue-collar, small markets and have strong traditions and value stability.
“I’ve heard Rodgers is looking for a culture such as the one in Green Bay. I get it if that sounds a little strange after the drama of the four-time MVP’s final years as a Packer. But over the past few months, Rodgers has been open with people around him on his renewed appreciation for what he had for 18 seasons in Wisconsin,” Breer wrote. “Call it a grass-is-greener dynamic if you want, but it definitely has felt, to some of those around him, like spending a couple years as a New York Jet made Rodgers view the situation he had more favorably. That’s also one area where the Steelers have an edge—Pittsburgh has a long-established culture, a family-business feel, and stability, just like Green Bay. It also helps, I’d think, that the roster is stocked with decorated veterans such as T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and now DK Metcalf, who are deep into their careers and presumably would carry a similar win-now urgency to Rodgers.”
Rodgers and Mike Tomlin have always spoke highly of each other, as well. That factor could play a big part in Rodgers’ decision.
“I’m a big Mike Tomlin fan,” Rodgers said in 2021. “I have been for a long time. I like the way he speaks about his team. I like the way that he goes about his business. I like his confidence. I’ve heard nothing but good things from guys that have played there.”
Breer notes that the New York Giants have a similar type of culture as the Steelers and Packers, but they play in the biggest market in the United State. Rodgers has already experienced that with the New York Jets.
“The Giants have some, but not all, of those elements. There’s also the possibility of retirement or that Rodgers wants to wait the Vikings out, Breer wrote. “No one has a timeline. This, it appears, is all going to come down to what one guy and one guy alone want to do.”
The Steelers hosted Rodgers for six hours last Friday, but he left UPMC Rooney Sports Complex without a contract. That doesn’t mean the visit went poorly, though.
In fact, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport believes quite the opposite in that it was a very productive meeting.
“As far as the visit,” Rapoport said on the Pat McAfee Show. “It sounded like it went really well.”
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also thinks it’s a “safe bet” that the Steelers land Aaron Rodgers. The “when,” however, remains a mystery.