Face It: The NFL Is More Fun With Aaron Rodgers

You heard a lot of people say when the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as their head coach, OK, that makes sense with Aaron Rodgers coming back.

Not really, right?

Aaron Rodgers is a completely different player.

Now than what he was when Mike McCarthy was there.

And for those of you who say that quarterbacks don't evolve, look at all the different, like, even the way that Aaron Rodgers holds a ball now is starkly different from the beginning of his NFL career.

The offenses that he's played in are different.

Um, the way that he, and I'll give him credit for this, and I've talked to Aaron Rodgers about this, right?

The way that he's evolved his own biomechanics to compensate for, you know, maybe a bum knee or maybe this part of my body is not as strong, so I'm going to throw this way and that changes the offense.

Every time he does that, that alters the throws, the throwing windows, all that kind of stuff, his progressions.

And so what Mike is getting now, like it's really hard to just reboot the, the 08.

You know, Packers last time he had him, we just talked about Mason Rudolph.

Last time he had him was Mason Rudolph's rookie year in 2018.

Yeah.

So, and, and, and, and Aaron Rodgers still won two MVPs after that, you know what I mean?

Like, so I, I think it's like definitely, I mean, look, I first of all, I wanna, I wanna start here.

I think the NFL is more interesting with Aaron Rodgers in it.

I think the NFL is more fun with Aaron Rodgers in it.

I'm happy he's back.

I, I think the Steelers games are gonna be way, way more watchable.

We can agree on that, right?

Than they would be with Will Howard or Mason Rudolph or whoever else in there.

Um, so it's a good thing for all of us because he's an interesting guy and it's an interesting topic and all of that.

Um, I think so.

I'll tell you what I know and then I'll tell you what I think.

I know they have been in constant communication the entire offseason.

I know that this was sort of part of the plan after talking to people over the weekend, um, what I've gotten back is that Mike McCarthy really wanted him for the start of OTAs, which for people who don't know.

That really is, I mean, Connor, that, that's the start of football practice, you know, you know what I mean, like , like if you're gonna take all the terms, all the different terms they have for all these phases, like what a fan would say if you, if you, if you put a fan.

You know, on the sidelines and tell and ask him if this is a football practice, like that starts today, right?

Like for, for the Steelers.

That's the start of OTAs.

When, when you hear teams starting OTAs, that's the beginning of football practice.

It's real 11 on 11, they're not in pads yet, but they're doing real football work.

Um, so they had had a discussion about this and You know, really, Aaron, I think, you know, is, has his stuff back in California and all of that.

And I think what made the most sense for everybody was for Mike McCarthy to run what he used to call his quarterback school, right, with the younger guys up until now, and this would be the natural time for Aaron to come back in, right?

So, I, I know Mike McCarthy wanted to get like a full assessment of Will Howard, we mentioned his name, right?

So he gets a, he has a full assessment of Will Howard, gets a chance to work with Will Howard , gets a couple of weeks with Drew Aller, where he can just kind of hone in and focus in on doing the work with them.

They've been communicating with Aaron Rodgers throughout.

And, you know, people have asked why did he come in 10 days ago?

Well, like my understanding is that was sort of to reopen his, he has a house in Pittsburgh, reopened his house in, in Pittsburgh.

re-acclimate, uh, he's been around his teammates a lot socially.

I think, I believe he was at the Pirates game, you know, with his teammates yesterday.

And so all of this was being done, like, like they were, they were doing all of this to just sort of create a runway where, all right, he can come in and be on the ground floor when we actually start practicing.

What I think, and why this is all seems so weird to everybody.

I think the Steelers were probably pretty scared of screwing this up.

And like, I, I think there's like an element around Aaron, and maybe this isn't even his fault, but I think there's an element around Aaron, and I think there always has been of those who are working with him are a little bit on eggshells about just, I don't wanna be the one who's like talking for Aaron, right?

I'll let Aaron talk for himself.

So it was a better, and this is the same as last year, by the way.

It like Mike Tomlin and Arthur Smith were in constant communication with him, but both those guys knew it doesn't make any sense for me to come out here and start talking about him and risk talking for him and piss him off and maybe he gets cold feet, you know.

And I think the same thing applied here.

It was like logically it made no sense for anybody in the Steelers organization to say anything.

So, like we're gonna kind of keep, we're gonna, we're gonna do things to protect the organization, which is what that tender was.

You know, if he is gonna wait to sign, um, but we're gonna keep communicating with him.

And I, I think at the end, You know, the other thing I know, and that was what I think, the other thing that I know here is that That he has been seeking over the last couple of years for a way to appreciate being a football player again and not be the Ayahuasca guy or the political activist or all of that.

I had a really cool conversation with him a couple of summers ago about this.

You and I have talked about this.

Like he really wanted to lean in on just being a football player again because he knew, like, I only get so long to do this and I'm not gonna be able to do it forever.

And like his last year at the Jets was really focused on that.

And then Salah gets fired, and then Joe Douglas gets fired, and the whole thing, like was a complete dumpster fire, you know.

And I think in Pittsburgh, he finally was able to find that.

Like he's told people there, that was one of the most fun years of his career despite how it ended.

And I think for him, this isn't about chasing a championship or writing a fairy tale ending or anything like that.

This is about like, I get another year to play football, which I actually think is pretty cool.

It is cool.

I'm just wondering like if you're McCarthy or if you're anyone in the Steelers, and it's, you know, there, there are a couple of reporters who, uh, locally who are very connected to that team and have been for a long time and through the tea leaves, you've heard a couple of times, patience is wearing thin, you know, like we'd like him to be here, whatever it is, um, but, If that is your fear, if, if your quarterback is so inherently mercurial that you're afraid that like a banal comment through the media is gonna make him not want to play for you this year, like what happens over the course of a season when like you have to have real conversations with people, you know what I mean?

It's just like, and I think it goes back to what our, but I think that's always been the dynamic, don't you?

Yeah, there's always been a little bit of that, and I will say like to Aaron's credit.

Um The one thing, the one thing I really respect about Aaron, cause I, I, I, uh, I might be, I might be like this a little bit too sometimes.

Aaron always punches up.

He doesn't punch down.

Yeah, Aaron always punches up at management.

He punches up.

He does not swing down, and I think that's the difference between him and Favre, right?

Like, I think Favre had a tendency to maybe to treat the people below him kind of crappy.

That's never been Aaron, you know.

Like Aaron, you can find a guy who picks up towels in the locker room after, after a game who has a great story about having done something with Aaron Rodgers, you know.

I think when Aaron has problems, it's been up above him, you know.

Like, sometimes the head coach, sometimes the general manager, like that's existed before, you know, so, um, that's why I think the people in management are really careful around him, but I don't think his teammates feel that way, which I think is what really matters.

I do think he, like, I mean, he does punch down sometimes, right?

Like in terms of like, oh my receivers ran the wrong routes like that there is a, there is a story the bus though, or is there just frustration on the field who is it, um.

Well, there's a Dobbs thing, right?

There was the Dobbs thing.

Uh, who, who did they get from the, the receiver from the Chargers that was with them on the Jets that, um, oh, Mike Williams, Mike Williams, who wasn't in the right spot in the Vikings game.

So I mean, I, I maybe it's not perfect, but largely, largely, yes, no, largely I think you're right, and I do think that he is.

You know, I remember going to a couple of his press conferences, um, when he was actually going to play for the Jets, and it is a string of like, you know, Joe Titman's gonna be a Hall of Famer, you know, like, I mean, really pumping guys up, um, and you could say whether or not that was accurate or, or whether or not he had any basis to do it, but I do think he's like close to getting it at this point in his career and finishing with that sort of legacy.

Like there was that weird mid-period there where we're like, OK, is he going to go off and be like a, Alt science podcaster or something like that, you know, but now like, I, I mean, you know, let's say he lands the plane smoothly here.

Wouldn't be weird to see him in a booth the following season.

Like I, I, you know, I know it's not what he wants, um, maybe, or maybe we don't know what he wants.

I, I would say this, I think the Steelers feel like this is gonna be it for him.

Like, I, I do think genuinely this is it for him, and like I don't think, and I, and I don't think that's because he wants some sort of farewell tour.

I think this is just it, you know what I mean?

Like, and look, like I think you could argue the Steelers maybe should have more heavily considered.

The idea of ripping the band-aid off this year, I don't think ownership wanted to sink to the bottom of the league.

You and I have talked about that, where Mike McCarthy is sort of the, the hire of Mike McCarthy is sort of the smoking gun.

Well, my, my favorite fact of the offseason is that Mike McCarthy became the oldest coach in Steelers history on the day of his hire.

Like that is unbelievable, you know what I mean?

Like.

I, I like, I like, but it, it, it tells you how outside the box this hire was for them.

You know what I mean?

Like, this is an inside the box hire for a lot of other organizations, but for them, it was way outside the box.

You know what I mean?

It's not what they've done.

But I think like that sort of reflects on like ownership, like ownership did not want to go through a 4 and 13 season or whatever.

And I, I'd argue that might be unavoidable, like, that probably is coming anyway.

Um, but like, I mean, is it not clear that every move they've made this offseason has been like, they're not building for Mason Rudolph.

You know what I mean?

Like, like when you look at like what they've done, bringing TJ Watt back, bringing Cam Hayward back, bringing Jalen Ramsey back.

Um, you know, then they signed Rico Dowdell going into his 8th year at running back, right ?

Not a young guy.

Michael Pittman, almost 29, playing opposite DK Metcalf, who's almost 29.

Jamel Dean, they signed him at corner, he's turning 30.

Um, is, I mean, you look at the, like the makeup of the roster, and, well, it would make no sense to hand a team like that over to Mason Rudolph or Will Howard.

All due respect to those guys, but this is built for a veteran guy, you know.

Rogers actually, as we are saying this has reported to the building.

So, uh, oh, do they, do we have pictures of him coming now?

This wasn't, he didn't go through like the back right this time.

I don't know, uh, was it in, what kind of car was he in?

What was that rental?

Do you remember?

Was it, was it like a Chevy Malibu, is that right?

Probably so here's a question.

Oh, there are always a lot of Chevy Malibus a lot available in the, uh, in the Hertz lot.

Yeah, yeah, uh, I was disappointed in my selection when I went to the president's circle, um, for my, uh, for my vacation last week.

I'm just going to say that we were in Texas.

I thought I was going to get a big truck, you know, kind of ham it up a little bit.

What happened?

You didn't wind up with like a Chevy Volt or something like that, did you?

No?

Well, it was like a, a Buick something, but it was like just a four door, like it was just very, you know.

Crossover SUV , one of those, no, just like a four-door sedan kind of thing, you know.

Oh, because the Buick , like the, the crossovers like which I don't think I know very many people that have actual , the actual crossovers like a Nissan Rogue, you know.

I don't know any Buick, but those are actually really comfortable.

Like if you're driving a lot on a work trip, those are actually very comfortable to drive, so I, I, I, I'll go for those a lot.

And the Buicks feel really nice inside.

So shout out.

It does have like a high-end, uh, uh, vibe to it.

But, um, I will say this, you know, and, and this is something that just kind of occurred to me, and it can, uh, help me bring in something that I obsessed over, uh, not surprisingly this weekend.

So the Steelers, like you said, brought back all these guys with the idea of running it back one more time with Aaron Rodgers.

It's, it's hard to fathom because I think we've seen the cap on what this team is capable of.

Um, now, you're betting on Mike McCarthy being so much better, um, than Art Smith.

That it negates whatever defensively you're gonna lose without Mike Tomlin.

That's a hard bet for me to make that this results in 3 more wins and then, you know, some storming through the playoffs.

But, you know, I'm willing to let the, the, the world take its course.

The other option here was to not re-sign any of these guys and to and to play the ping pong ball in 2027 and it was interesting because Eli Manning, did you see this, he was, uh, on a podcast, uh, yeah, with the about the Chargers, yeah, so finally revealed like.

of the reason why he thought the Chargers were, um, going to the restaurant, it was like, wait, we're in New Orleans and you're taking me to the to to Champions at the Marriott.

So Marty Schottenheimer was pissed at the, at the, at the meeting that they were not eating at a good New Orleans restaurant.

Um, and why wouldn't you, like, I, I don't know, and I totally side with Marty Schottenheimer here.

Like, like, like I guess that makes no sense.

Like I, I, I, it can't even be a financial thing because those Marriott like restaurants are generally like sort of overpriced, so you could find.

Somewhere in New Orleans that would be so much better at the same price.

I, I'm guessing at which Marriott they were at.

And again, this is 19 there's the way it's probably the one right there in the middle, right?

Like that's what I'm guessing, but this again, this is 9 whatever it's 2003, so you know, my New Orleans geography, you know, I was in high school at that point, but like, I mean, I would.

Guess that you could just take a straight shot out of that hotel and maybe walk two blocks and have the best meal of your life, right?

In 4, you can go in 4 different directions, 2 blocks and have the best meal of your life.

Fair.

OK, but so, so, and, and the reason that I bring this up, um, and Eli said that, you know, he basically, his dad said he would take all the heat.

It was really his call.

I don't know about that.

Um, you know, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm not sure, but I say all that to say this, um, Steelers are a classic franchise with longevity, a history of longevity at the quarterback position.

You don't think if they were in the mix there that maybe Arch Manning's in the conversation for them?

I mean, I know that there's a lot of teams with a lot of picks and a lot of ammo to get up there and the Cardinals and the Dolphins, specifically, their schedules are so bad that you would have to imagine that they're close to 12 and the Jets have the 3 first-round picks.

But let's say that Pittsburgh was like, You know, they just decided to do the tear down and rip the band-aid off like you're saying, and they wound up at like number 4.

You don't think that the door would be open even in the slightest for this to happen, to for, for the Mannings to manufacture a world where Art Arch goes to Pittsburgh.

I'm just asking.

You know, I mean, that's like a fun idea, and I think like I, I, I, I know like one of the things that appealed to the Mannings back then was the presence of the mayors, you know, and the stability of the mayors brought to the table, which I guess would be similar to what the Rooneys, um, are able to bring in Pittsburgh.

So, yeah, I mean, it's.

So you're saying that's what you're passing on?

Right.

And again, it's theoretical.

Um, Arch could go back to school again, uh, you know, I mean, he might not like, you know, he has just interested to see the way this all works because I just, You know, what does Jalen Ramsey look like this year?

What does TJ Watt look like this year?

What is, like, it's, This idea of running it back, like presupposes that there's not gonna be a drop-off and like that a bunch of guys won't hit the wall or get hurt, you know.

And I think that's the dice roll that the Steelers are making here is You know, I had, I, I've had other teams, and, and not just one or two say to me like that playing the Steelers now you're more concerned about Alex Highsmith than you are TJ Watt.

Um, Cam Hayward is a great pro.

I mean, he's in what this is gonna be year 17, right?

Something like that, yeah.

Jalen Ramsey going into year 11 as a defensive back, right, uh, DK Metcalf, you know, is, again, I'd say like from a mileage perspective, it's gonna be an older 29.

So like Rico Dowdell, 8 years as a running back, like I just It's It's interesting Because I think there's a world where it all comes together and Aaron Rodgers is able to leverage all that experience and maybe they go a little further than they did last year.

Is there not also a scenario where it all crashes down?

Totally, you know, where like, just injuries hit, age hits, like, it's just, there could be so many things that could go wrong.

And, you know, I think back to like the Tampa teams that Brady played on, and they had like a layer of older players, no question, right?

So you had, um, You know, you had Cronk at the end.

You had Leonard Fournett, who wasn't old but like had, you know, had a lot of miles, had a lot of miles on his body and had been beaten up and, you know, you had Donovan Smith like getting closer towards the end of his career.

Um, Jason Pierre-Paul was in that group, right?

Like, so, you had all, you had a bunch of like older guys in that team, Lavonte David was older, um, and he wound up lasting a lot longer, but, um, you know, what you also had there was an incredible crew of young guys, right?

And that like was one of the keys that I think was underrated to that working for Brady at the end, right?

So it wasn't just the older guys, it was also Like hitting on Tristan Werths, you know, hitting on Antoine Winfield, hitting on Chris Godwin, and it was like you had like this younger core of players, vita, like, right?

Like you had this younger core of players that were really supporting it.

And so I think that's gotta be a part of it too for Pittsburgh, right?

Like it's gotta be like those young offensive linemen, I think are gonna be so important.

Like what is, what does Troy Vitano look like this year?

Is Zach Frazier the best center in football this year?

Mason McCormick, like, Um, is Broderick Jones healthy?

Do they have to play Max Ahena or, you know, um, so that's, you know, a big time key defensively.

Can they get more out of some of the younger players there?

Like, I think of a Jack Sawyer if, if TJ Watt winds up declined.

So, you know, I think like a key for, for Pittsburgh isn't just the older guys hanging on.

You're also gonna need some of those younger guys rising up, and it'll be interesting to see if that part of it comes together for them.