It’s easy to feel pessimistic about the Pittsburgh Steelers officially bringing in Aaron Rodgers as their new quarterback. But not so long ago, it seemed like a pipe dream.
When my friends ask me how I feel about it, I tell them it was two years too late acknowledging the full benefit of hindsight. So ask me again in eight months.
Still, when Rodgers was nearing his end in Green Bay, the thought of him spending his final years in Pittsburgh seemed like a no-brainer. That whole thought came to mind the last time the Steelers played against Aaron Rodgers as a Packer in 2021, when Rodgers and Mike Tomlin shared a look that the NFL reminded us of soon after news broke that Rodgers would sign with Pittsburgh.
Rodgers tried to catch the Steelers offside for a free play, one of his most famous tactics across his Hall of Fame career, but Tomlin countered just in time with a timeout. When the two legends smirked at one another, Steelers fans realized that these two master minds could make for one heck of a tandem.
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In the end, Rodgers had the last laugh, just as he did in Super Bowl XLV. He threw for 248 yards and two scores en route to a 27-17 Week 4 win for Green Bay. Still, Pittsburgh didn’t make it easy, as he was sacked three times and completed a near-season-low 55% of his passes.
“I have a ton of respect for Mike, I think he’s a fantastic coach,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show leading up to that game. “I love the way he leads, I love the way he talks after the games. He always seems to keep things really even-keeled. He looks like he’s somebody that the players love playing for him.”
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The same exact scenario played out last year when the Steelers met the Jets in a Week 7 matchup that saw Pittsburgh leave with the victory.
“You remember we had them and he called a late timeout, which was just like the other night,” Rodgers said, again on The Pat McAfee Show. “He looked over and did the same thing, kind of smirked and shook his head like, ‘No, no, no, you’re not getting us. You’re not getting us today.’ So kudos to him for being on that.”
At least now that Rodgers is a Steeler, he’ll have Tomlin encouraging him to take those free plays instead of stopping him.