Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the NFL’s oldest active player at age 41, and Mike Tomlin, the longest-tenured NFL head coach, have united to give the Pittsburgh Steelers renewed championship hopes.
Four-time NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Rodgers, who spent 19 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and the past two with the New York Jets, was signed in June by the Steelers, who have not won a Super Bowl since the 2008 campaign and have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season.
Rodgers did not take a snap in the pre-season, but figures to be on the field on Sunday to begin his 22nd NFL campaign when the Steelers visit the Jets.
Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Tomlin, 53, has not had a losing season in his first 18 campaigns, an NFL record set fully with Pittsburgh.
Bill Belichick’s departure from New England after the 2023 season made Tomlin the longest-tenured NFL head coach and NBA legend Gregg Popovich stepping down as San Antonio Spurs coach earlier this year made Tomlin the longest-tenured head coach in major North American sports.
Rodgers, who led Green Bay to the 2011 Super Bowl title 31-25 over Tomlin’s Steelers, and Tomlin, who guided Pittsburgh over Arizona 27-23 in the 2009 Super Bowl, had mutual respect before working together.
Photo: AP
“This dude has been doing it 21 years,” Tomlin said on The Pivot podcast. “Four-time MVP, all of that stuff. I just wanted to know why. Why does the fire still burn? What is his agenda?”
“Those are some of the conversations we had in the spring, and I just got real comfortable with his ‘why.’” Tomlin said. “All he wants to do is win. All he wants to do is have fun within the game. He wanted to be a component of the process of development for young players. It’s fun to watch it play out. I think that’s why I’m excited.”
Rodgers told ESPN that Tomlin has exceeded his expectations.
“Mike T. is the man,” Rodgers said. “From day one that we talked on the phone in the off-season, I was never talking to a head coach. I was talking to a friend. I respected the hell out of that.”
“The way that he leads the room... The surprise has been just what a great dude he is, what a great leader he is, on top of what I expected, which was already high based on what I thought from afar,” he said. “Being able to see it in person is incredible.”
Rodgers played for the Packers from 2005 to 2022 before being traded to the Jets in 2023, but on the fourth offensive play of the 2023 campaign, Rodgers suffered a season-ending ruptured left Achilles tendon.
He returned last season and completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns with 11 interceptions, but the Jets went 5-12 and Rodgers was released.
After chatting with Tomlin, Rodgers signed a one-year deal worth US$13.65 million, US$10 million of it guaranteed, with the Steelers in June.
Rodgers, who turns 42 in December, was selected as one of the Steelers four team captains, the only one from the offensive unit.
Quarterback Will Howard, who led Ohio State to last year’s American college crown, was drafted by the Steelers to learn from Rodgers.
“You don’t bring in Aaron Rodgers for no reason. He’s a guy that’s coming in to be the guy,” Howard said. “I want to learn everything I possibly can from Aaron, just watch the way he goes about his business.”
Pittsburgh also added wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, likely a top target for Rodgers this season.
“It has just been fun, getting the timing down, getting the offense down,” Metcalf said of building a rhythm with Rodgers.
“He will challenge me on the field, off the field, throwing signals at me, asking me questions in the hallway, trying to see what I would do against different coverages, so it’s always a learning experience,” he added.
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