Aaron Rodgers seems to be settling into Pittsburgh about as smoothly as possible. However, for most of the offseason, many fans felt frustrated that the Steelers had to wait for multiple months to make a decision. Speaking on NFL Network’s The Insiders on Wednesday, Judy Battista spoke about the mood surrounding Rodgers in Latrobe.
“Talking to Steelers folks, when I got here last night, they all said players have gravitated to Aaron Rodgers,” Battista said. “Not surprisingly, they said he is charismatic. Even some of the veteran players, who were maybe annoyed and impatient about his late arrival, have been won over. The locker room loves him. There’s a lot of enthusiasm. And they really love how he looks physically.”
Rodgers’ personality and health were the two biggest concerns leading up to his signing. The Steelers are happy with the latter. Rodgers did look better towards the end of the 2024 season, when he seemed to be getting comfortable after his Achilles injury. Now, he has another offseason of recovery under his belt, so he should be about as healthy as the Steelers can hope.
That said, his personality winning over the locker room could be a bigger deal, especially compared to Russell Wilson the year prior. Wilson is extremely positive, but there’s something to be said about the authenticity Rodgers has shown since becoming a Steeler. He’s making an effort to help rookie quarterback Will Howard, has spoken glowingly about Mike Tomlin, and hosted several teammates in Malibu before training camp to get some extra work in.
Through it all, he’s been far less controversial than many expected him to be. Take his answer to Terry Bradshaw a few days ago as an example. Bradshaw criticized the Steelers for waiting on Rodgers and told the veteran to “chew on bark”. When asked about it, Rodgers gave some respect to the Steelers legend instead of firing back. It’s not a huge deal, but it did help him win over some fans.
Of course, every quarterback expects to win over the locker room. It’s one of the positions where leadership is nearly as valuable a trait as anything else. On this Steelers team, with all the new faces they have, it’s even more important. There’s a long way to go, but so far, Rodgers is exhibiting the veteran leadership the Steelers were hoping he’d provide.
