Paul Zeise: Aaron Rodgers has been everything the Steelers hoped for since he arrived -- and then some

Paul Zeise, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Aug 28, 2025

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — I think back all the way until April, maybe early May, when the Steelers were "being held hostage" by Aaron Rodgers. And I can't help but laugh at how silly that whole saga was. I can't help but laugh at the number of people who had no rational reason to hate Rodgers who bought that storyline and regurgitated it as fact even though it was nonsense.

And as I said at the time — and was shouted down by many — the Steelers always felt really good about Rodgers signing, they knew what was going on in his personal life, and clearly had communications with him. So why should anyone outside the organization be worried that he isn't going to sign?

Then there was all the stuff about — with no real evidence — how Rodgers was a diva, he was a locker room cancer, he was not liked by his teammates and, the grandaddy of them all, he just wouldn't fit in the Steelers' culture.

And my answer was always the same:

Do you remember a guy that played quarterback who wore No. 7 and played for the Steelers for a bunch of years? Do you remember what many of his teammates thought about him — the fact that he was considered a bit of a diva and drama queen and the fact that he wasn't always a very good teammate (ask Mason Rudolph)?

Did that guy fit into the Steelers' culture? Didn't he lead them to — checks notes — three Super Bowls, winning two of them, and a total of five AFC title games?

We might not have had a bigger diva/drama queen in town than that guy in my three decades of covering sports, but the Steelers and their culture seemed to do just fine with him. And fans seemed to love him. When he retired, it left a huge void within the Steelers from which they have not recovered.

This is also the culture of Antonio Brown and George Pickens and a host of other guys who some would argue are both some combination of diva and bad teammates.

Most people had no rational reason to hate Rodgers other than he is a little quirky, went against the COVID narratives and never seemed to have a problem tackling an issue on his podcasts with Pat McAfee. That's it. That is the list of sins he seemingly committed as far as I can tell, and I know this because when people would say to me, "I hope they don't sign him," they could never answer exactly why.

As far as I can tell — and I did a lot of digging — I couldn't find any evidence that Rodgers' teammates didn't like him, that he was some diva )beyond the normal level of diva for NFL quarterbacks) or that he has ever been a bad locker room guy.

In fact, for the most part I found the opposite to be true: He has been good teammate and been a consummate professional for the majority of his career. Rodgers is as competitive as they come, and whether or not that translates into a big year, it is how he has played the game since he entered the NFL.

Rodgers may or may not still be a good quarterback. He may or may not be able to lead the Steelers to wins. I don't know, and we won't know how much he has left in the tank until the games begin next week.

Here is what I do know — nothing Rodgers has done or said since he has arrived would suggest he is a bad teammate, a locker room cancer, a diva or anything other than a guy who is motivated to win and wants to fit in with his teammates.

There was one "controversy" that he was hard on Roman Wilson, but both said it was Rodgers trying to make him better and push him. Rodgers has said several times that he thinks Wilson has a chance to be an excellent receiver. And by all accounts, Wilson has improved pretty much every week in camp, and he and Rodgers are getting on the same page.

Rodgers also talked to the offensive line about being more aggressive and physical and attacking more. And he was lauded for this by former players like Trai Essex, who said that's exactly what they needed to hear, and by all reports the line has played better in recent weeks.

That's what leaders do, and the fact that his teammates seem to respond to him tells me he has their respect and they want to work together to become a great offense.

Rodgers has been on Cam Heyward's podcast talking about even running it back again next year, and just about every single quote I have read or seen from other players has been positive about Rodgers' impact on the locker room.

He has done everything he has needed to fit in. He has done everything he has needed to do to prove he wants to be here. And he has done everything he has needed to do to become a team leader.

Rodgers might ultimately stink and have nothing left in the tank. But he has proven already that all of the concerns about how he may not fit in with the Steelers and their culture were mostly silly and irrational.