With the first day of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) beginning Tuesday, Aaron Rodgers isn’t in the Steelers’ facility. With the workouts being voluntary, it’s not a massive deal. Still, the Steelers would obviously prefer for Rodgers to be there, assuming he plans to sign with them, and build some chemistry with his new teammates. Jason McCourty thinks that when Rodgers shows up, he needs to truly be a leader for this team.
“I think it’s how you show up, too,” McCourty said Tuesday while speaking to Kay Adams on the Up And Adams show. “I think for a guy like Cam Heyward, Rodgers shows up, he’s ready to work, he’s into it from Day 1. He’s talking to all of the players and saying, ‘Hey, this is what I did in Green Bay.’ He has to be all-in.”
With OTAs underway, one of the deadlines many had pegged for a Rodgers signing has passed. These OTAs aren’t a huge deal, and nobody is wearing pads anyway. However, it’s hard to get into the meat of these offseason workouts not knowing who your starting quarterback is going to be. While Mason Rudolph gets the first-team reps for now, it’s more than fair to argue that the Steelers are in an uncomfortable position.
Rodgers has also drawn criticism for some of his recent actions. Early in the offseason, Rodgers said issues in his personal life have caused him to refrain from deciding on the 2025 season. Obviously, those issues should be and have been respected.
However, Aaron Rodgers went to the Kentucky Derby and appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast. Most recently, he answered questions at a concert in Texas last week. Some have argued that if Rodgers has the time to do all of that, he has the time to spend three days in Pittsburgh this week working with his new team.
At the end of the day, McCourty thinks Aaron Rodgers can still command a room. When, or if, he eventually makes it to Pittsburgh, McCourty thinks he needs to do exactly that.
“You gotta imagine, you’re a guy on that offensive side of the ball, when Rodgers walks into an offensive meeting and he starts to talk, everybody’s going to sit up straight in their chair,” McCourty said. “So I think it’s more about how he shows up, if he’s already in shape. If Rodgers gets in practice and he’s spinning it, I’m excited as hell to have him on my team.”
McCourty presents a good point here. The last few seasons haven’t gone swimmingly for Aaron Rodgers. Still, he’s one of the more legendary players to ever throw a football. Plenty of the younger guys on the roster, especially on offense, would have grown up watching him. This whole saga throughout the offseason hasn’t been fun for the Steelers. However, if Rodgers shows up and shows that he cares, it will grab the attention of his teammates.
At the end of the day, Aaron Rodgers not being in Pittsburgh for the start of OTAs isn’t the end of the world. A few notable Steelers also didn’t show up on Tuesday. Still, this is another possible deadline that’s come and gone. And the Steelers feel no closer to landing Rodgers than they have all offseason.
