The Pittsburgh Steelers swung big this offseason, adding a number of big names in an effort to try and compete for a Super Bowl. None of those names are bigger than Aaron Rodgers at quarterback.
Though he’s 41 years old and coming off two tough years in New York, Rodgers was the man for the Steelers this offseason. He still can throw the football as well as any quarterback in the league, and his mobility has improved now that he’s two years removed from a torn Achilles.
The Steelers are banking a lot on the aging quarterback to keep them competitive this season, especially with a relatively young offense under second-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
For former NFL defensive end Chris Long, who appeared on The Mina Kimes Show to power rank the 32 teams, he’s most interested in seeing how things look in Pittsburgh with Rodgers not being in charge of everything offensively.
“He earned that right as a Hall of Fame quarterback to throw his weight around. But I wanna see what it looks like when Arthur Smith is like, ‘Hey, every look’s not gonna be exactly the way you want it,'” Long said of Rodgers, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “We’re gonna get to play action a certain way. We’re gonna call the game a certain way. We’re gonna do certain things that maybe you’re not real comfortable with and you have to dust off some of the old habits.
“But I wanna see it where it’s not like he walks in and he sets the entire menu. Because he deserves to have a lot of say in it, but Tomlin’s the type of coach that it’s not gonna be like Rodgers getting his way at every turn.”
The question about Rodgers and the control or input he’ll be allowed to have offensively this season has been a big topic of conversation. It comes after former Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was reportedly not allowed to make changes at the line of scrimmage late in the year, clashing with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Rodgers has said all the right things this offseason, though, especially regarding Smith and his play-calling. Rodgers has a great deal of respect for Smith, who has plenty of experience calling plays in the NFL. In fact, Rodgers pointed to that exact thing with Smith, pushing back on the narrative that he’d come in and change the offense, stating that Smith “knows how to call a game.”
“…I’ve called some two minutes over the years, but the idea that somehow I need to or have spent most of my career playing outside of an offensive system is just not correct,” Rodgers said to reporters in June. “So, I’m gonna learn the offense, and Arthur and I are gonna talk a bunch this summer.”
Though Rodgers has the reputation that he’s been a pain to deal with and has taken over the offense when on the field, pushing back on calls from the likes of Mike McCarthy, Matt LaFleur and more, he refutes that notion. Even if he has pushed back at times, he’s earned that right.
Rodgers is a Hall of Fame quarterback and one of the greatest ever. He should have a say.
But in one year with Pittsburgh, and considering who the coaches are, chances are that Rodgers doesn’t get to do whatever he wants in certain situations. It’s a young offense, one that needs to stay structured and on schedule. Changing things at the line of scrimmage became messy last season with Wilson and led to mistakes.
Smith will listen to Rodgers’ input and let him have plenty of say. But this will ultimately be Rodgers’ offense. That has Long intrigued to see how it all works. It could go very well, or things could be ugly like they were in New York last season.
