Whereas Aaron Rodgers did not formally signal with the Steelers until June 7, Mike Tomlin had recognized for months that the four-time league MVP can be becoming a member of his group for the 2025 season.
Pittsburgh’s coach not too long ago acknowledged that he knew Rodgers was signing with the Steelers previous to this yr’s NFL draft, which is without doubt one of the the reason why the group opted to not choose a quarterback with the twenty first choose. Rodgers visited the Steelers’ facility on March 21, and whereas he did not depart Pittsburgh with a contract, the seeds had been apparently planted for a future partnership.
Tomlin’s admission got here after he was requested about his want to align with Rodgers for what will likely be the final year of the 41-year-old quarterback’s profession.
“You recognize, this dude’s been doing it 21 years,” Tomlin stated on The Pivot Podcast. “Man, four-time MVP, all of that stuff. I simply needed to know why. Why does the fireplace nonetheless burn? What’s his agenda? These are a number of the conversations that we had within the spring, and I simply obtained actual comfy along with his ‘why.’
“All he needs to do is win. All he needs to do is have enjoyable inside the recreation. He needed to be a part of the method of growth for younger gamers. All the things that we talked about by our conversations within the spring, I am watching him dwell out proper now on this coaching camp setting. I believed him when he stated it, but it surely’s enjoyable to observe it play out. I believe that is why I am excited. I believe that is why I used to be comfy. And also you’re proper, I knew one thing.”
What Tomlin “knew” is that Rodgers would be part of his group whilst Rodgers waited to formally put pen to paper till simply earlier than the beginning of minicamp. Regardless of the surface noise from followers and media members who questioned whether or not or not Rodgers would really be part of the Steelers, Tomlin apparently knew all alongside that he had his man.
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The wait has apparently paid off for each Tomlin and Rodgers, who has had nothing however good issues to say about his new coach.
“Mike T is the person. Any hate, disrespect and the ilk is full and utter bulls—,” Rodgers recently said on The Pat McAfee Present. “Mike T is the person. From Day 1 that we talked on the cellphone within the offseason, I used to be by no means speaking to a head coach. I used to be speaking to a buddy. I revered the hell out of that.
“The best way that he leads the room, the way in which that he talks within the group assembly, the way in which he’s in observe. The shock has been, simply, what a terrific dude he’s, what a terrific chief he’s, on high of what I already anticipated, which was already excessive based mostly on what I believed from afar, however having the ability to see it in individual is unbelievable.”