There’s way too much to break down in this one. The NFL world went bonkers when 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers signed with the Steelers two weeks ago. Why? Well, that’s the part where it gets “too much to breakdown”. There’s no end to the terrible reception the signing got. But regardless of public opinion, their shots at the 2025 Super Bowl are well and truly in the conversation. It all just depends on how Rodgers fits into Mike Tomlin’s plans.
Signing A-Rod was with one intention in mind: Having a brand new leader and franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh. We did see a bit of it in the Jets last season, completing 63% of his pass attempts for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. And this coming just a year after tearing an Achilles is astounding. Being 41 does help in being a leader, but with the kinda control freak Coach Mike is, how much of a free rein will the veteran quarterback even have?
Well, if you go by former Steeler WR Allen Robinson’s word, it could be more than people think. “I mean, we’ve seen Coach Tomlin coach Antonio Brown, Le’Veon Bell, Ben Roethlisberger,” Robinson said. “Some of the biggest names and personalities that we’ve saw in the game and have an extreme amount of success. Aaron Rodgers going to Pittsburgh, I think that’s a phenomenal fit. He’ll be able to bring his alpha nature under center and be able to kind of ignite everybody as well. And Coach Tomlin will give him full autonomy to be able to do that.”
Why ex-Steeler Allen Robinson thinks Aaron Rodgers will work in Pittsburgh: Mike Tomlin knows how to coach everyone, and he’ll let Aaron be himself.
“He’ll be able to bring his alpha nature under center…and coach Tomlin will give him full autonomy to do that.” pic.twitter.com/PYU6yhl6Ix
— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) June 17, 2025
The bigger question comes when you consider Rodgers‘ personality. It’s big, to say the least. But some might think it’s far too big for teammates to go with it. Having Rodgers under center is a risk Mike Tomlin has deemed worth taking. Now, whether that pays off or not, only time will tell. Their last 6 seasons have been dominated by one-and-dones, which culminated with a 28-14 loss to division rivals Ravens in the Wild Card round.
It’ll be like the Clash of the Titans – Aaron, the one who’s too outspoken, if anything, and Tomlin, the one who never relinquishes control. The thought of Mike letting their newest quarterback even have a fraction of a chance to have the run of the place is quite hard to imagine. But if you add that with what ex-Steeler Charlie Batch had to say about him, it might be hard to take Robinson’s word for it after all.
Matt Canada’s situation describes Mike Tomlin’s issues perfectly
Picture this: Your team is outright legendary in all regards. But the success has just not been there for nearly a decade. It’s funny how the Steelers and Scuderia Ferrari in F1 have been going through the same story in different sports. Painful playoff after playoff just isn’t what you’d want as a Pittsburgh fan. And if history has been anything to go by, then it usually points to the coaching staff. In this case, it’s Tomlin.
If you’ve got former players bashing you for this, then it might be time to have a look in the mirror. To be fair, none of this will really change his status as the longest tenured coach in the NFL right now. But the Matt Canada incident might just be one that the fans won’t let go of. And neither will Batch. The former quarterback of the Steelers blames Tomlin for it all – the downfall of Canada’s reign as their offensive coordinator, and the Steelers’ subsequent downfall over the last decade.
“He absolutely deserves all of the blame,” said Batch. “Why is because he hired Matt Canada. That was a disaster for three years. So now, you’re trying to rebuild off of that. You lost the quarterback that you drafted that could possibly fit in the Matt Canada offense with Kenny Pickett… You had Russell Wilson, Justin Fields last year, but now Aaron Rodgers [is] here,” Bath continued. “He understands that’s what comes with the territory because Steelers fans have been spoiled because Ben Roethlisberger was at the helm for 18 years.”
NCAA, College League, USA Football 2025: Notre Dame NFL, American Football Herren, USA Pro Day MAR 27 March 27, 2025: Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during the Notre Dame Football NFL Pro Day at Irish Athletic Center in South Bend, Indiana. John Mersits/CSM. Credit Image: Â John Mersits/Cal Media South Bend Indiana United States of America EDITORIAL USE ONLY Copyright: xx ZUMA-20250327_zma_c04_259.jpg JohnxMersitsx csmphotothree369215
Does this seem like Pittsburgh being afraid to make a change? It doesn’t look like Mike Tomlin’s job is at risk of anything. But the next season might be the writing on the wall for him. The Aaron Rodgers transfer has to work – there’s no two ways about it.
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