AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
Aaron Rodgers officially began his Steelers journey early Tuesday morning, arriving at the team facility just after 7:15 a.m. in a gray Range Rover. Waiting to greet him was William Parker, a Pittsburgh native and longtime Steelers fan. Dressed in a black suit and holding a megaphone wrapped in dollar bills, Parker shouted, “You broke my heart in the Super Bowl, but I forgive you!”—a nod to Rodgers’ win over the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
Parker, who has been encouraging players during minicamp for the past five years, believes Rodgers can help Pittsburgh win its seventh Super Bowl. “I definitely think other players are going to play up to a certain level because they know they have a four-time MVP playing for the Steelers,” he said.
Building Trust Behind the Scenes
Rodgers had stayed in close contact with head coach Mike Tomlin, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, and general manager Omar Khan since his visit to Pittsburgh in March. He said personal matters delayed the signing, but the Steelers gave him the time and space he needed—something he deeply appreciated.
“The rapport that fell in between me and Mike made it to where, as I was going through my personal stuff, there wasn’t any other option for me. It was here or not play,” Rodgers explained.
Talks resumed on the morning of June 5, and by Thursday night, the deal was done. “I didn’t want to shortchange the guys and sign but be elsewhere mentally or physically,” Rodgers added. “Until I could be here and be all-in, I needed to take care of my business.”
Making an Impression from Day One
Rodgers wasted no time setting the tone. After Coach Tomlin opened the team meeting, Rodgers stood up to speak. “That was the main message: He’s all-in, ready to go from now on,” said center Zach Frazier.
Later, he asked quarterbacks coach Tom Arth for a printed playbook instead of a tablet. Rodgers prefers taking notes by hand, so administrative assistant Chrissy Bulger created a binder with pencils, erasers, and highlighters. Rodgers returned the supplies after thanking her, saying he had already bought his own.
“After the meeting, Aaron came and asked, ‘Did you say Chrissy put this together?'” Arth said. “He went over and first he thanked her for putting it all together, and he gave her back the pencils and the pen and the highlighters and said, ‘I already bought my own. And I don’t want you to have to order any more.’
“It was just a very thoughtful way to introduce himself to Chrissy and start building that relationship. That definitely stood out to me.”
Easing into Practice
Although Rodgers attended minicamp, he didn’t take full reps. That was Tomlin’s decision as Rodgers adjusts to the new system. While much of the offense is familiar, the terminology and some motions are new.
“A lot of this stuff is stuff I’ve done before, but there’s new terms and new types of motion words and different stuff,” Rodgers said. “I’m learning. I’m going to go through the individual stuff. I told Mike, if he wants me to practice, I’ll practice, but I think he said he just wants me to stick to the individual [work] until I’ve got the offense down.”
During drills, Rodgers worked behind Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and Will Howard. He spent team sessions observing and talking with coaches.
“I just want to be a servant leader here,” he said, “and just pass on the knowledge that I have for 20 years, the experience and just try and fit in with the guys, get to know ’em, let them get to know me and just enjoy the process.”
New Teammates, Familiar Respect
Rodgers quickly earned the respect of teammates. Rookie linebacker Jack Sawyer introduced himself during a practice break. “That’s one of the quarterbacks you grow up watching and emulating in the front yard, throwing the football when you’re a little kid,” Sawyer said. “And now being here in my rookie year and having him as my teammate is pretty surreal. And what’s funny is, my grandma growing up was a huge Packers fan and loves Aaron Rodgers, so she’s probably called me 10 times in the last week to ask me how he is and what he is like.”
Will Howard, who played at Ohio State like Sawyer, had a similar experience. “You would think he’s this big-time famous guy — everybody knows Aaron Rodgers, but he’s super down-to-earth and not at all what you would expect,” Howard said. “And just super personable in the last day that I’ve been talking to him.”
Looking Ahead to Training Camp
Rodgers wrapped up his first day by speaking to reporters, describing the experience as similar to the first day of school. Though minicamp is only three days, it offered a solid introduction before training camp opens July 23 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
Rodgers is expected to stay away from the facility until mid-August. In the meantime, he’ll study the playbook and may try to organize some throwing sessions with teammates.
“I’ve just got to try to convince them to come out to Malibu [California],” Rodgers said with a smile. “It’s going to be a tough sell, I think, a tough sell.”
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This report used information from ESPN.
