Kaleb Johnson is in Green Bay now, but his first Packers locker-room session gave Pittsburgh Steelers fans a perfectly believable confirmation about Aaron Rodgers: he was every bit as hard on him as a rookie as his reputation suggests.
Johnson, 23, was traded to Green Bay on Aug. 30, ending Johnson's quick Steelers tenure after one season. Pittsburgh got a 2028 sixth-round pick for the No. 83 selection from 2025. Not a great return on a Day 2 investment, but far better than they would've gotten by releasing him.
Kaleb Johnson’s Aaron Rodgers story explains the pressure behind his Pittsburgh Steelers stint
Johnson sounded more entertained by Rodgers’ intensity than bothered by it, smiling as he told the story and credited Rodgers for helping him with the details.
“I learned a lot from him. It was just, overall, the little things he always talked about. I'll be messing up on it, he'll come talk to me about it, and the play would go on, I remember it, and he'll slap my ears, slap my hands, ‘good job.’”
Asked whether Rodgers is notoriously hard on young players, Johnson didn't hesitate.
“Very. Very,” Johnson said, shaking his head and smiling. “I experienced it during training camp, so I know.”
New Packers RB Kaleb Johnson on how hard Aaron Rodgers was on him last year as a rookie in Pittsburgh: pic.twitter.com/7oUAN5ottu
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) September 1, 2026
That tracks with Johnson's Pittsburgh experience almost too well. The warning signs were piling up long before the trade. He finished his rookie year with 28 carries for 69 yards, and that Seattle kick-return blunder became the play everyone remembered.
His offensive chances were already squeezed by Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell. By this summer, Warren and Rico Dowdle were ahead of him, while Pittsburgh's final roster favored the more versatile Eli Heidenreich as its third backfield option.
Moving on still wasn't automatic. There was a reasonable case for patience with a 23-year-old Day 2 pick, especially one who entered Pittsburgh with high 2025 draft expectations. But draft pedigree only takes a player so far, and the new staff had no reason to carry a runner who wasn't winning offensive snaps or helping enough on special teams.
None of that makes Rodgers responsible for Johnson's failed Steelers stint. If anything, Johnson's anecdote says the opposite. Rodgers corrected him, noticed when he fixed it, and gave him immediate approval. That's demanding, sure. It's also the kind of on-field accountability a rookie needs.
Green Bay gets to see if there’s still something there, Pittsburgh gets a sixth-rounder, and Johnson gets one last shot before he's labeled a bust.
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