The Pittsburgh Steelers are finally signing quarterback Aaron Rodgers after months of waiting, according to multiple reports, but with Rodgers now in the fold, the reality of him becoming Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback has hit. That’s leading The Athletic’s Dianna Russini to wonder how the dynamic between Rodgers and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will play out.
“In a way, this could be one of Mike Tomlin’s biggest challenges that he has had to face in the last few years. Because Aaron comes with so much confidence, he’s set in his ways, he wants to do things a certain way,” Russini said on Scoop City.
However, Russini believes that Tomlin is a coach Rodgers will respect, which could lead to him being the “best version” of himself.
“I’ve always thought from the start, since Aaron was in Green Bay, when we started to hear he didn’t want to be there anymore and a trade was on the table. I always thought that the only way we were going to see the best version of Aaron Rodgers was if the person calling the shots, the head coach, was someone he respected. And this is finally the one.”
Russini did question how things will go down during the “grind” of a season, but by all accounts, the Rodgers-Tomlin relationship is a good one. Tomlin was reportedly a key reason why Rodgers will sign with the Steelers, as he has respect for Tomlin and Tomlin was willing to respect his timeline throughout his free agent process. While Rodgers is certainly a big personality who will probably want to play his brand of football, his relationship with Tomlin should ideally make things less of an issue for the Steelers.
While the Tomlin-Rodgers relationship is ideal, it could still be a challenge managing a locker room with Rodgers at the forefront. Last season, he had no problem calling out WR Mike Williams for running the wrong route during one of his weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show. What if Rodgers calls out a Steelers receiver? That might not sit well in the locker room, and it’s something the Steelers and Tomlin may need to manage with Rodgers’ confidence and personality.
There have been plenty of questions about Tomlin’s coaching over the past few years, but the one thing that’s hard to challenge is his ability to lead a group. He’s handled locker rooms that have included the likes of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, and while Rodgers is a unique person to deal with, Tomlin’s ability to lead, coupled with the mutual respect between the veteran coach and Rodgers, should avoid any real major challenges.
It’s hard to know until he’s actually in the locker room, though, and how Aaron Rodgers leads the Steelers under Tomlin’s watch is certainly going to be a storyline this year.
