At the Pittsburgh Steelers’ mandatory minicamp, QB Aaron Rodgers said he was going to invite some of his teammates to work out with him in California ahead of training camp. Appearing Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers revealed that some members of the Steelers are coming to Malibu next week to work out with him.
“Coming out to Malibu may not be high on everybody’s list, but we got some guys coming out next week, so it’ll be fun to spend a little time with ’em,” he said.
It’s expected that WR DK Metcalf will be a part of that session. The two worked out together at UCLA’s campus in March ahead of Rodgers’ signing with Pittsburgh, and Metcalf said he planned to continue working with him over the summer.
Last season, a group of Steelers receivers worked out with QB Russell Wilson in San Diego to help build rapport ahead of training camp, and the throwing sessions with Rodgers should help accomplish a similar goal. With Rodgers signing with the Steelers just ahead of mandatory minicamp and not taking part in team drills while he was in Pittsburgh, it’ll be a little more important for Pittsburgh’s pass catchers to work with him in California and continue building a relationship.
Rodgers didn’t specifically say who was coming out, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the likes of Calvin Austin III and Pat Freiermuth in attendance, in addition to potentially Metcalf and others. Austin and Freiermuth were among the group that worked out with Wilson in San Diego last year.
It’s good to see Rodgers take the initiative to invite guys out to get a head start on working with them before the Steelers report to Latrobe for training camp at Saint Vincent College. This should make things feel more seamless for the pass catchers who do attend the throwing sessions. Given that they’ve gotten limited work in with Rodgers since he signed with the team due to his limited participation in minicamp, it’ll help give them a feel for what he wants and help him know the weapons he’s working with this season.
It’s a good sign for Aaron Rodgers as a leader, and hopefully there’s a solid group of players for him to work with and get to know as the Steelers pursue their seventh Lombardi Trophy in 2025.
