People questioned whether the Pittsburgh Steelers could depend on QB Aaron Rodgers at the age of 41. Well, for at least one game, the answer was unequivocally yes. In Week 1 against the New York Jets, Rodgers completed over 70 percent of his passes and threw four touchdowns in the win.
Now, the question turns to whether Rodgers can keep playing that way or not. Former Steelers OT Ryan Harris is bullish on Rodgers, and it comes back to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
“It continues, provided he stays healthy,” Harris said Friday on The FAN Pregame on Sportsnet 590 the FAN. “And I know from playing with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers, Aaron Rodgers is having the time of his life right now playing. One of the things Mike Tomlin does better than any coach I played for is he handles all the distractions. He handles everything but your job. He’s going to coach the defense. He’s going to coach the coaches. He’s going to make sure everybody knows what to do…
“He also believes in brutal honesty. And so one of the things I learned playing there at the Steelers, you better get used to, if you have a bad play, having Coach Tomlin talk about it in front of the team. Aaron Rodgers, he’s happy to do that ’cause he knows he can play at a high level.”
“You better get used to, if you have a bad play, having Mike Tomlin talk about it in front of the team… Aaron Rodgers is happy to do that because he knows he can play at a high level.”@RyanHarris_68 on playing under #Steelers head coach with @ailishforfar & @jesse_fuchs. pic.twitter.com/7yAYQQBKsw
— Sportsnet 590 The FAN (@FAN590) September 12, 2025
Harris only played one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2016. It was his final season of a nine-year NFL career that included a Super Bowl victory with the Denver Broncos in 2015. However, that one season left quite the impression on him. Harris, like so many other players whose NFL path crosses Mike Tomlin, holds Tomlin in a very high regard. It must be reassuring having a head coach who can handle “everything but your job.” All you have to do as a player is do your job.
And for Aaron Rodgers, having a respected head coach who works hard at handling everything else has to make his life easier at this stage of his career. In Week 1, Rodgers looked calm and in control of offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense. And that was despite the run game looking “average at best,” as Smith put it this week. Oh, and the defense gave up nearly 200 yards rushing and 32 points to former Steelers QB Justin Fields and the Jets’ offense.
But at no point did Rodgers look flustered, despite his left tackle giving up three sacks. Rodgers didn’t call Broderick Jones out postgame. He instead took the high road, saying he still believes in him. That sounds like a quarterback confident that his head coach will handle calling a player out in meetings, doesn’t it?
And if you aren’t sure that Rodgers is enjoying himself in Pittsburgh, don’t take a former player’s word for it. Just listen to how some of Rodgers’ current teammates talk about him. WR Calvin Austin III, who caught one of Rodgers’ touchdowns and had 70 yards receiving, credited Rodgers’ communication skills for getting the offense going despite not playing together in the preseason.
WR DK Metcalf talked about how Rodgers looked on the field compared to last year with the Jets, and he even called Rodgers “my boy.” So much for the thought that Rodgers needed his guys, both on the coaching staff and on the roster.
Even LB Payton Wilson, who has to practice against him on a daily basis, thinks quite highly of Rodgers both on and off the field.
Only time will tell whether Aaron Rodgers will have a good or even great season with the Steelers. But for the moment, it certainly does seem like he’s enjoying himself under Mike Tomlin. That’s what his teammates say, and even people outside of Pittsburgh are seeing it.
