When QB Aaron Rodgers visited the Steelers in March, he and OC Arthur Smith met extensively—to put it mildly. According to Albert Breer, Smith and the Steelers were so sure of landing Rodgers that they built their offense under that assumption. After reports of his signing, we continue to learn more and more how much contact they had.
“They really started talking in March, and they were able to establish a level of trust. They tried to quietly bring him into the building on March 21”, Breer said of his visit. Aaron Rodgers collaborating with Arthur Smith had a lot to do with that hours-long trip to the South Side.
“From there, they’ve been talking regularly, to the point where Arthur Smith has been building an offense for the last three months with Aaron Rodgers in mind”, Breer said on the Rich Eisen Show. Considering he hasn’t worked with any of their other quarterbacks, that’s not insignificant.
Now, Mason Rudolph spent six seasons with the Steelers, but not the 2024 season. That’s when they hired Smith, so Rudolph is about as new to the system as Rodgers is. Rudolph signed on March 13, and Rodgers visited only a week later. They were already talking before that, and they continued to talk after.
Aaron Rodgers will make his on-field debut with the Steelers today at minicamp, but he should hit the ground running in Arthur Smith’s offense. Presumably, if Smith was building the offense with Rodgers in mind, he communicated that. And he will have studied Rodgers’ game extensively, striving to accentuate his strengths.
One obvious strength both Smith and Rodgers share is the play-action passing game. Last season didn’t see Rodgers at his best there, but he still threw for over 1,000 yards off play-action passes. He also had a 7:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio, even if he managed only 6.7 yards per attempt. On the other hand, he only had one turnover-worthy play, and eight passed dropped. Only Jayden Daniels had more passed dropped on his play-action passes last season.
In Aaron Rodgers’ last peak season in 2021, while Arthur Smith was the head coach in Atlanta, both parties thrived in play-action. Rodgers went 105-of-146 for 1,153 yards with 10 touchdowns to 0 interceptions. Smith’s quarterback that season, Matt Ryan, fared similarly well. Ryan went 111-of-157 for 1,242 yards with nine touchdowns and one interception.
In 2020, Aaron Rodgers and Ryan Tannehill, Arthur Smith’s quarterback in Tennessee, were among the elite play-action passers. Rodgers put up disgustingly good numbers that year with 22 touchdowns to 0 interceptions, throwing for 1,506 yards. Tannehill, revitalized under Smith, threw for 1,703 yards off play-action passes with 12 touchdowns to 3 interceptions.
Now, a play-action-heavy Arthur Smith offense doesn’t necessarily mean an offense built for Aaron Rodgers. Smith has always preferred a heavy mix of it in his offense, but Rodgers gives him the vehicle through which to run it. How else Smith catered his approach this offseason with Rodgers in mind, time will tell.
