The Pittsburgh Steelers are pursuing free agent QB Aaron Rodgers, with the latest report being that the team is a “safe bet” to land Rodgers. That report came from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio’s co-host on PFT Live, Chris Simms, thinks Rodgers would be a seamless fit for Pittsburgh’s locker room. He believes that Rodgers is an “upper room” Hall of Famer and someone who would be respected and liked with the Steelers.
“I do think he will be revered because he’s an all-time great…they’re starving for that guy. This isn’t Russell Wilson. Aaron Rodgers has a way to relate with people,” Simms said. “I think he does bring a lot of positive juju, vibes, whatever you want to say into the locker room. And even this year, we saw how many Jets players went to social media that were disappointed that he got released.”
There were concerns last year about how Russell Wilson would fit into Pittsburgh’s locker room, but he was someone who seemed to be a good leader and was well-liked by his teammates. However, Rodgers is a player of a different caliber, at least throughout his career. He’s won four MVPs and has consistently been among the best quarterbacks in the league. Even while things didn’t go according to plan with the Jets last season, he was still generally well-liked in the locker room.
Simms said he talked to Rodgers’ former Jets teammates Quincy Williams and Jermaine Johnson at the Super Bowl, and they had “nothing but good to say” about Rodgers. While he may have some polarizing opinions and hasn’t always been the best teammate (take for example him publicly blaming Mike Williams for running the wrong route in a Monday Night Football loss last season), Simms seems to believe he’ll be a locker room fit in Pittsburgh.
One thing that helps is that the Steelers have a number of veteran leaders, although they’re on the defensive side of the ball in Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Still, having another group of veterans to help aid the leadership core could be beneficial with Rodgers, and it could be one reason he’s drawn to Pittsburgh.
Even though Aaron Rodgers is coming off a down season, it’s hard not to respect his body of work on the field. It may lead to him being someone that guys look up to and respect. That could help Pittsburgh’s receiver corps, with DK Metcalf and George Pickens both big personalities. But with a quarterback under center who’s accomplished more than both of them, it could prevent or limit issues.
If Rodgers can come into Pittsburgh and become a leader and limit distractions, that will obviously be a positive. And even while he might be a distraction sometimes off the field, Rodgers could be a positive influence in the locker room and on the field.
