UNITY TWP, Pa. – Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has no reservations about 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers ' workload at training camp. His reps will be monitored to some degree. That's only natural for a veteran QB, but they won't be holding him back.
"He's a workaholic. I don't have a lot of reservations about that. I think he's hardened himself over the course of his career with his attitude toward work," Tomlin said. "Certainly, I'm gonna limit him in some instances, but, when I do, it's going to be more about elevating opportunities for guys like Will Howard and less about preserving him to be quite honest with you."
Rodgers reiterated during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show in June that he wants to serve as a mentor for rookie Will Howard. Even though he's a four-time NFL MVP and future Hall of Famer, Rodgers doesn't want to overstep his bounds. He's coming into the QBs room with humility.
"I pulled him aside during one of the days and said, 'Listen, I want to help you as much as possible, but I'm not going to overstep by bounds. If you want assistance, I'm here buddy. I want to help you.' From the playbook, from my own mistakes and things that I need to learn from. That's where everything is gonna come from. If I can help you become a better player this year that would be an incredible achievement for me. Because No. 1, he's a real good kid. He's a sweet kid. And he's had a lot of great success at the college level.
"But I was impressed by him. Obviously, he worked once the rookies came out in May. I thought he looked really sharp. He made a bunch of great throws. I think there's definitely some things that I can help him with and some things that are different at the pro level. I'd love to help Will and set him up to be the guy for who knows how long."
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at minicamp on June 10, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Former New York Jets and Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini does not believe Aaron Rodgers is fully committed to the Pittsburgh Steelers. All-Pro defensive tackle Cam Heyward couldn't disagree more. He believes the four-time NFL MVP is all-in.
"It just felt like he has bought in, and it worked out for the best," Heyward said on The Rich Eisen Show . "I know sometimes we live in a society where we want things now. But patience has a way of paying off. And to now see he's a Pittsburgh Steelers and just him walking through the locker room asking questions how we do things. He's bought in and that's all I can ask for our quarterback. As a teammate, I'm excited to go work with him."
During an interview with NBC Sports at the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship on Sunday, Rodgers explained what he's most excited about heading into his 21st season in the NFL. Ending his career on a positive note and playing for Mike Tomlin are a part of the equation.
"Well, I just like the newness of it all," Rodgers said. "I'm excited about being such at a such great franchise with the Hall of Fame head coach and [Mike Tomlin] and I've enjoyed getting to know Arthur Smith, our coordinator, the quarterback coach actually was in my quarterbacks room a million years ago. I've known Tom Arth since we were young kids without any gray. So it's fun.
"It's a good quarterbacks room. It's good leadership in the locker room. Great fan base, and I'm just excited to get back out there and finish it the right way."
There's a narrative attached to Rodgers that he isn't the best teammate, but that doesn't appear to be the case . New York Jets running back Breece Hall recently said on the Da Get Got Pod with Marshawn Lynch and Mike Robinson that the four-time NFL MVP was phenomenal in New York.
"Very misunderstood person," Hall said. "Great dude, comes off to people a certain way. But once you really get to know him, you realize how good of a person he is. Last year, when you're losing games, the blame gets put on the faces of the team, and it just so happened to be guys like me, Sauce [Gardner], Garrett [Wilson], Aaron [Rodgers], Quinnen [Williams], and Quincy [Williams].
"I feel like when you're losing, somebody has to get let go — but what people don't realize is when stuff is crazy organizationally, then it's hard for players to have stability and win games. … But I love Aaron. Me and him still have a great relationship to this day. That's my guy."
DK Metcalf , Pat Freiermuth , Calvin Austin III , Roman Wilson , Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek also went out to Malibu to train with Rodgers earlier this month.
For sure, Rodgers isn't afraid to speak his mind and his opinions can rub some people the wrong way. However, when it comes to being a teammate, Rodgers seems to be fantastic.
Alan Saunders and Brendan Howe provided reporting from St. Vincent College.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Mike Tomlin Reveals Plan for Aaron Rodgers at Training Camp
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