AFC North Sack Master Targeting Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers: ‘Gotta Get Him Back’

Aaron Rodgers has a target on his back.

Fresh off signing his one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers heard Cleveland Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett say he will be coming for the four-time NFL MVP. And Garrett won’t be the only one.

Baltimore Ravens Pro Bowl linebacker Kyle Van Noy said he will be hunting Rodgers as well, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. Van Noy has 55 career sacks, including a personal-best 12 1/2 last season, but none against the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback. During an appearance Monday, Van Noy said getting the elusive sack won’t be easy. The closest he came was a decade ago while playing for the Detroit Lions.

“He ended up walking by and kind of tapped me on my butt, like, ‘Nice try.’ So I gotta get him back for that,” Van Noy said. “That’s been there for 10 years.”

So what does Van Noy expect from the 41-year-old Rodgers this season?

“I still feel like he’s slinging the ball around,” Van Noy said, per Pro Football Talk. “He has the confidence of anybody, and especially being a four-time MVP of the league. He’s coming into the Steelers, who are ready and primed to have a guy at the helm, at the quarterback position, to take them to where they want to go.

“I feel like they have a good offensive coordinator with Arthur Smith, who’s gonna get back to that ground and pound,” Van Noy continued. “I’m excited to see Aaron Rodgers under center to see if he likes it or not.”

Van Noy’s words were a bit more diplomatic than what Garrett said earlier this month after the Steelers signed Rodgers.

“What do I think about it? I think it’s a good opportunity to put him in the graveyard,” Garrett told reporters, per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi.

Rodgers will want to keep a close eye on Garrett, who has recorded double-digit sacks in seven straight seasons. The Steelers’ first game this year against the Browns comes in Week 6. Pittsburgh doesn’t see Baltimore until Week 14.

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