While the Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting on Aaron Rodgers, the veterans are ready for him, according to Mark Kaboly. On the #1 Cochran Sports Showdown last night, he said there is support among their more experienced players for the future Hall of Famer. I’m sure it’s more than there is among the team’s fans, though.
“Everything that I’ve heard is, everybody is welcoming Aaron Rodgers with open arms. The vets”, Kaboly said. Despite initial impressions, Cameron Heyward, for example, has stuck up for him. Heyward, as a team captain, holds a lot of weight in the locker room all on his own.
Kaboly also said on the program that “the right players” grew tired of George Pickens before the Steelers traded him. On the panel, some wondered why they would be tired of Pickens and yet embrace Aaron Rodgers. Despite visiting Pittsburgh quite some time ago, he has yet to sign with the team.
Depending on whom you ask and when, Aaron Rodgers either has or has not given the Steelers a clear indication of his intent to sign with them—eventually, whenever that is. Last month, he took to The Pat McAfee Show to address some speculation. He revealed that he was tending to some difficult times among individuals close to him. There has also been some speculation that he recently got married or engaged, but as usual, nobody knows anything.
What the Steelers in the locker room want is a quarterback who will help them win games. Aaron Rodgers could not do that with the New York Jets a year ago. Do the Steelers have such a better team that it would make all the difference? Rodgers was also coming off a major injury last season, so perhaps having a year under his belt since then would help. That’s what they hope, anyway.
Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers have already cycled through numerous quarterbacks. In 2022, they opened the season with Mitch Trubisky. By the following season, they had Kenny Pickett, whom they drafted a year earlier. Yet Mason Rudolph closed out that season as the starter. Last season saw a combination of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields.
Aaron Rodgers would merely be the latest short-term option to the Steelers’ long-term quarterback problem. For the second year in a row, they completely cleaned out their quarterback room, even if that includes Rudolph returning.
They drafted Will Howard in the sixth round, but if Rodgers signs, he is their starter, without question. At that point, one can only hope that the locker room truly will embrace him. Perhaps even more important, that he be a quarterback worth embracing.
