PITTSBURGH – Aaron Rodgers is here. Finally.
No, there’s no pressure (yeah, right) as the Hall of Fame-credentialed icon makes his “offseason debut” for the Pittsburgh Steelers at a not-so-ho-hum minicamp on Tuesday. All Rodgers needs to do is turn a storied NFL franchise into a championship contender again.
And the same can be said for Mike Tomlin.
Yep, Rodgers and Tomlin are joined at the hip for this mission to roll back the clock and pursue championship glory – and are also two desperate reasons why this has a chance.
Hey, they both need each other like crazy…enough to try.
Go ahead, fire away. It’s fair game. Rodgers is 41 and hasn’t won a playoff game since the 2020 campaign, way back in his Green Bay Packers life. Tomlin has never had a losing season in 18 years but hasn’t sniffed a playoff victory since 2016.
As they stand now, doubted and embattled, embattled and doubted, the setbacks both endured in recent years have provided quite the common denominator to fuel a bond.
Having once sat atop the NFL mountaintop, it has undoubtedly eaten at Rodgers and Tomlin that over so many years they have been unable reach that height again. Rodgers won a Super Bowl before he earned any of his four NFL MVP awards and that’s been that. Tomlin took the Steelers to two Super Bowls in his first four seasons, winning the crown in his second year, and that’s been that.
It’s been a minute since the 2010 season when, ironically, Rodgers led the Pack over the Steelers in Super Bowl 45. Back then, who knew (besides Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes) that it would be the last time we’d see either of these alpha males on a Super Bowl stage.
So, look at them now. Together they can dream of chasing confetti again.
Of course, it’s a huge dream that will take much more than determined synergy from the two most crucial pieces for any NFL team – the quarterback and head coach. And that’s even before considering a treacherous AFC field that includes Mahomes and Andy Reid, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. And then some.
Yet at least Rodgers and Tomlin have a boost of hope in each other. And a connection that has been built over years with mutual respect.
The connection, too, has been strengthened in recent months as Rodgers contemplated his future and the outside noise swirled. They talked at least once a week.
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Rodgers, after two disastrous seasons with the New York Jets, doesn’t sign up for the one-year hitch with the Steelers unless he felt it was possible they could position themselves as a contender, of which he can have much influence. If Brady, then 43, can win a Super Bowl in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2020), then maybe…
The Steelers have significant pieces in place, including new big-play wideout DK Metcalf, star edge rusher T.J. Watt (pending contract) and all-pro D-tackle Cam Heyward. Tomlin’s presence, which includes tapping into the locker room pulse on a Bill Parcells level, may have been the clincher for Rodgers wanting to come aboard.
Tomlin, who struck out with Russell Wilson (and Justin Fields) last season, sees Rodgers as the fiery competitor eager to win now – at least for now as the one-year commitment indicates. Add a below-market contract that would still pay less than $20 million if all incentives are met and GM Omar Khan gets a bit more salary cap flexibility to stay aggressive with a talent hunt that could, well, strengthen the cast around Rodgers.
Sure, Rodgers will drill down with O-coordinator Arthur Smith to craft a system that increases chances to succeed. No negative there. In fact, it may do wonders for Smith’s rep, too, given the struggles with Pittsburgh’s offense in 2024. Rodgers has long been regarded as having one of the NFL’s sharpest minds, having deciphered virtually every blitz and coverage imaginable over two decades. That expertise matters.
Never mind the narrative that they’ve lost too many offseason practice reps. Remember, Brett Favre came out of retirement in 2009 and joined the Minnesota Vikings on August 18…and led them to the NFC title game.
Here’s to patience. For much of the offseason, as the NFL universe waited on Rodgers to commit to a 21st season, Tomlin showed no hint of frustration that a deal wasn’t struck months ago. The noise from critics was persistent, with suggestions that Rodgers was stringing the Steelers along balanced by suggestions that Pittsburgh should have dropped its pursuit.
Pressed by reporters this spring about needing a hard deadline for a decision by Rodgers, Tomlin on multiple occasions said something about training camp. It sounded witty, like a good one-liner that left ‘em laughing.
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Turns out, this week’s three-day minicamp represents the last organized activity until Steelers players report for training camp in Latrobe, Penn. on July 23. Tomlin’s training camp reference wasn’t far off.
Yet it’s deeper than that. Although Rodgers reportedly had interest in the Vikings, Tomlin knew, too, that he needed time. In addition to weighing retirement, Rodgers has dealt with personal matters that included illnesses of people in his inner circle.
Football aside, Tomlin understood. While Tomlin, like many coaches, can be brash, direct and boisterous – and loaded with catchy slogans – that persona may eclipse his gift for connecting with his players as people. And that will include the eccentric Rodgers.
That’s essential to the rich culture that Tomlin has developed. Of course, there’s a Tomlin mantra that sums it up: “We want volunteers, not hostages.”
The Steelers have had their share of malcontents, yet personnel decisions over the years (as in move on) illustrate how serious they are in protecting a no-nonsense environment.
After two years with the Jets, Rodgers is one high-profile volunteer. You can’t blame him if he feels relieved. He was cut from the franchise that owns the NFL’s longest playoff drought at 14 seasons, the futility wrapped with instability. They’re on their eighth coach in 25 years.
Tomlin, meanwhile, is Pittsburgh’s third coach in 56 years. Yet all that stability comes with a different type of pressure, which Rodgers eagerly accepts in joining forces. Finally.
Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: @JarrettBell
