The Pittsburgh Steelers had their patience tested when it came to Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
It paid off.
Rodgers reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers on Thursday, ending a long offseason in which the four-time NFL MVP created a new definition for taking one’s time.
Rodgers dragging things out certainly gave him plenty of time to think over his decision — he didn’t have many options but the 41-year-old quarterback could have chosen to retire after 20 seasons in the NFL. And ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed one of the main reasons why Rodgers was convinced to join the Steelers.
“Steelers never wavered in their belief that Aaron Rodgers eventually would sign with Pittsburgh,” Schefter wrote on X. “Steelers HC Mike Tomlin loomed large in this entire situation. Tomlin was a drawing card for Rodgers, and was happy to work within Rodgers’ timeline. He is a major reason that Rodgers will be a Steeler.”
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It’s clear Rodgers and Tomlin have a mutual respect for each other. Rodgers spoke glowing about Tomlin when appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show” in 2021.
“I’ve been around a lot of Pittsburgh people over the years, and I have loved my time with all of them,” Rodgers said at that time, per Sports Illustrated’s Kristen Wong. “I have learned to speak the language really well… It’s a great blue-collar town. It’s got a lot of history, that city. Mike Tomlin, been there forever… I have a ton of respect for Mike, I think he’s a fantastic coach, I love the way that he leads, I love the way that he talks after games, he also seems to keep things really even-keeled, and it looks like he’s somebody that the players love playing for.”
It was only a few months ago that questions arose about Tomlin’s job security after the Steelers suffered another shortcoming in the playoffs. But the Steelers decided to stick with Tomlin and his presence just helped the franchise obtain its best quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Featured image via Ed Mulholland/Imagn Images