Whatever perceived lack of power balance there may have been between Aaron Rodgers, Robert Saleh and the New York Jets, I wouldn’t expect the same to happen with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Aaron Rodgers has a ton of respect for Mike Tomlin and the Steelers organization according to one of his former teammates.
“I think this relationship with him and Coach Tomlin is gonna be phenomenal,” James Jones said via The Facility on FS1. “Aaron used to talk about Coach Tomlin all the time. He respects the heck out of Coach Tomlin. I think this is gonna be a really good fit when you talk about coach to quarterback.”
Having the coaching staff and the quarterback on the same page is very important. We saw last year with Russell Wilson down the stretch what a disjointed mess the offense can look like when that working relationship starts to fray. Wilson and Arthur Smith reportedly had a strained relationship toward the end.
Rodgers is the longest-tenured quarterback in the league and Tomlin is the longest-tenured head coach in the league. They both have Super Bowl rings and they have both seen just about everything there is to see on a football field. That shared perspective gives them a lot of common ground.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Tomlin was a “major reason” why Rodgers ultimately wanted to sign with the Steelers and likely end his career there. He’s praised Tomlin on numerous occasions before, as has Tomlin to Rodgers.
They had a viral interaction on the field a few years back when Rodgers was still with the Packers. Rodgers attempted his signature 12 men on the field trap against the Steelers only for Tomlin to call a timeout. The two of them stared each other down with a smile, perfectly captured by the broadcast cameras.
For two veterans of the game, that was a tip of the cap from Rodgers to Tomlin for a job well done. He clearly had done his homework and tape watching. That is the kind of interaction that likely had Rodgers talking about Tomlin to his teammates.
They have only faced off against each other four times. Tomlin won two and Rodgers won two, including his win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
The combined football acumen between the two of them should be a huge asset for the Steelers in 2025.
