If quarterback Aaron Rodgers signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers, outside linebacker Alex Highsmith will welcome him with open arms. Though Highsmith credited Mason Rudolph for leading the team during the early stages of the offseason, Highsmith is enticed by the idea of Rodgers walking through the doors, too.
“I know if he does sign, we’re going to be really excited to have him,” he told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo on Thursday’s The Insiders. “We know who he is. He’s a Hall of Fame quarterback. He’s one of the best ever to do it.
Until Rodgers decides his future, Highsmith and the rest of his teammates will be asked about it every chance possible. With the Steelers beginning voluntary OTAs, Rodgers will dominate the conversation. Highsmith walked the line well, supporting whoever becomes the Steelers’ starting quarterback.
“Mason being there, he has done a great job,” he said. “The guys are rallying around him and like I said, he’s been with us before and guys know him. Pittsburgh fans know him. The way that he helped us finish in, in 2023 was awesome. And so just no matter who’s back there for this, whether it’s him, if Aaron Rodgers is gonna come, I’m just excited. And I know we’re gonna have, whoever’s back there, we’re gonna have their backs and we’re gonna rally behind them.”
Rudolph went from third-string quarterback in 2023 to the team’s starter over the final three contests, turning around a seemingly doomed slide to 7-7 to a three-game winning streak into the playoffs. Post-Ben Roethlisberger, the stretch from Rudolph is one of the team’s best, rivaling Russell Wilson’s immediate impact after taking over as starter in Week 7 of 2024.
Signing a one-year deal with Tennessee last season, Rudolph threw nine touchdowns and nine interceptions. Those were unimpressive numbers, but he played on a team that finished the year with the NFL’s top draft pick.
Rodgers has offered no indication of when he’ll decide his future. He’s spent the offseason largely away from the media spotlight, holding just two public interviews. In April, he joined the Pat McAfee Show to talk football, and in an episode that aired yesterday, he joined Joe Rogan to discuss virtually everything else.
Alex Highsmith is used to the change. The Steelers have started five different Week 1 quarterbacks across his six NFL seasons, a different name each year since 2021. No matter if it’s Rodgers or Rudolph, Pittsburgh will likely be starting someone else in 2026. That means Highsmith will face the same questions during his offseason interviews next year.
