Aaron Rodgers’ Coaching Camp in Pittsburgh Begins With Decide, Cautious Optimism

Aaron Rodgers took the snap, turned to his left, and flicked his first semi-official go as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A split-second later, the ball settled proper into the arms of linebacker Patrick Queen for an interception.

The group that lined a sweltering Chuck Noll Discipline throughout Pittsburgh’s preliminary observe of coaching camp on Thursday groaned.

Rodgers didn’t.

“It (was) good to get that out of the best way,” he stated later with a smile.

The 41-year-old has been doing this for a very long time. Longer than each different lively participant within the league, really. He has been a member of the Steelers for barely six weeks. It is July. The final time he threw in opposition to one thing apart from air was in opposition to Miami in early January, when he tossed 4 landing passes within the finale of his two tumultuous seasons with the New York Jets.

Taking probabilities and figuring issues out is what camp is all about.

“I will throw some picks,” Rodgers stated.

Then the four-time MVP paused ever so barely earlier than including, “However I will throw some touchdowns too.”

These must wait. There was none available for Rodgers or any of Pittsburgh’s different three quarterbacks throughout a 90-minute session that was extra about shaking off rust and studying cope with the warmth than anything.

“Issues are going to get higher and look higher as we go,” Rodgers stated. “However I’m enthusiastic about the place we’re at day one.”

The fact for Rodgers and the new-look Steelers is that no matter occurs on the sector throughout their three weeks at Saint Vincent Faculty may be secondary to what occurs off it.

Pittsburgh rebuilt the main elements of its offense on the fly within the offseason, with Rodgers and the one-year deal he signed in June on the middle of it.

Rodgers was among the many first veterans to reach, checking into Rooney Corridor on Tuesday evening, almost 24 hours forward of Wednesday’s deadline. He was pleasantly stunned to seek out out that he had a room on the bottom flooring. Even higher, his suitemate is newly acquired extensive receiver and occasional exercise companion DK Metcalf.

The 2 initially bonded throughout a exercise in Southern California in early spring when Rodgers was nonetheless weighing his choices. They connected once more, this time with a number of teammates in tow, in Malibu between the top of minicamp and the beginning of coaching camp.

Nonetheless, constructing the chemistry required to achieve success is an imprecise course of. Metcalf admitted it may be “robust to start with,” and Rodgers has little interest in forcing it, although being collectively in shut quarters for a few weeks can assist pace up the method, one of many many causes the Steelers stay one of many handful of groups that also go away for camp.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is making it a degree to present Rodgers the ground throughout conferences, urging Rodgers to supply no matter insights he may need. Rodgers, who pressured the significance of discovering the “proper messaging” throughout camp, has discovered a prepared pupil in rookie quarterback Will Howard.

“I wish to be a help system for him and go on something I can,” Rodgers stated. “I don’t wish to overstep my bounds, but when he needs to study something or choose my mind or be in my hip pocket, I’m all for it.”

Whereas Rodgers believes Howard can turn out to be a “long-term man” within the NFL, Rodgers is the short-term reply in Pittsburgh, which aggressively overhauled a piece of its roster in hopes of attempting to finish a playoff victory drought that is nearing a decade.

Rodgers thinks the Steelers are one of many 10 to 12 groups “on paper” which have a professional likelihood to compete for a championship. He is been on loads of groups that match that profile up to now. Solely certainly one of them — the Inexperienced Bay group that beat the Steelers within the Tremendous Bowl almost 15 years in the past — really made it to the highest.

So somewhat than supply some form of prediction, Rodgers as an alternative pointed to the significance of leaning into the method.

“It is occasions like this,” he stated. “With these 17 or so practices that we’ve got right here and … hanging out with one another within the lunchroom and snack and the completely different occasions that we’ve got and rising collectively.”

That form of pragmatism, nevertheless, does not imply Rodgers will settle for no matter is available in 2025. He has expectations, each for himself and the Steelers.

What are they? Pressed to element them, Rodgers was properly, Rodgers, flashing the dry — at occasions very, very dry — humor that is turn out to be certainly one of his emblems.

“I am not telling you,” he stated with a smile.

Reporting by The Related Press.

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