There hasn’t been much offseason drama across the NFL since the draft, aside from the lingering Aaron Rodgers question. Where would he land? Or was he ready to call it quits after that abysmal stint in New York? Well, that chapter’s finally closed.
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With Rodgers signing a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, both sides can now turn their attention to ending Pittsburgh’s nine-year playoff win drought. And team leader Cam Heyward seems just as relieved, now that the Steelers can move forward instead of remaining stuck in quarterback limbo.
Back in March, Heyward seemed visibly frustrated with Rodgers for dragging out the decision to join his team. When asked about it, Heyward said, “Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, or you don’t. It’s that simple. That’s the pitch.”
Heyward also clarified that this did not mean he didn’t like Rodgers, saying that it would be “cool” to have a guy like him leading the offense. However, he wasn’t going to bend over backwards to get the veteran QB in the building.
And in the end, the longtime Steelers captain didn’t have to. Rodgers finally came in last week and signed that one-year, $13.65 million deal. With incentives, that could rise to $19.5 million. But that’s a bargain for a starter-level QB in the NFL today, no matter who you ask. Now that the deal is cemented and Heyward has met Rodgers, it seems he has warmed to the eccentric QB.
“I think it’s good, I think we didn’t have a lot of quarterbacks to begin with. But he brings the leadership… Dude’s a four-time MVP. That is nothing to look over. Got a chance to meet him. Very nice and approachable. And he’s just excited to get down to business. I think he’s just gonna teach a lot of the offensive players how to go about business and, you know, I think that’s what we need,” Heyward said.
Even after the groin injury that cost Heyward (34 at the time) the first couple of months of the 2023 season, he came back in 2024 with a vengeance. He earned his seventh Pro Bowl nod and was named First-Team All-Pro (for the fourth time), becoming just the fifth defensive lineman aged 35+ to earn that honor.
Despite that level of success, Heyward can’t help but appreciate one unexpected perk of Rodgers’ arrival — at 41, the QB becomes the oldest player on the team. Even older than the 36-year-old QB Russell Wilson, who led the team last year.
“I think, yeah, it’s nice not being the oldest guy on the team. I get to just go about my day, and hopefully I don’t get asked as many old questions anymore. It’s kind of ridiculous at this point.”
Heyward interviewed teammate Pat Freiermuth about Rodgers’ arrival as well. Like many, Freiermuth had an inkling that Rodgers would eventually land in the Steel City. He also revealed that he’d spoken to Rodgers, who had indicated his intention to come once he had dealt with some things in his personal life. The big tight end didn’t hide his excitement about Rodgers joining the team.
“I’m excited man. I think that he’s gonna help us win. He’s obviously a Hall of Fame quarterback for a reason. I’ve been watching some film on him. He’s still got some arm strength, and he’s still an unbelievable quarterback, so I’m excited to get working with him finally.”
Freiermuth had a nice bounce-back season in 2024 after putting up career lows across the board in 2023. He will want to get a good relationship going quickly with Rodgers, too. Pittsburgh has been on the short list of trade destinations for Dolphins Pro Bowl TE Jonnu Smith.
Star wideout D.K. Metcalf was also seen working out with Rodgers a few months ago, and the pair were spotted at Heyward’s Iron for Impact charity golf event this week. Steelers fans will get their first look at Rodgers in black and gold with his new teammates when the roster (apart from T.J. Watt, who is holding out for a new deal) reports to mandatory minicamp on June 10 in Latrobe.
