Now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers will wear the No. 8 like he used to with the New York Jets. But the most intriguing part is his participation in Pittsburgh’s minicamp. He arrived at the facility at 7:19 am, and some fans were quick to tell him how sad they were when the Packers defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV. The veteran’s presence during the first day of mandatory minicamp was strong as he threw passes during individual drills. “It felt good to be in a jersey and cleats again,” he said, but he was merely a spectator during full team drills. At one point, the signal-caller was busy having an extensive chat with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith while Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and rookie Will Howard ran the offense. But the 41-year-old already has a complaint.

He dislikes his helmet! “I can’t stand the helmet,” he informed reporters on Tuesday. “I’ve worn a Schutt for 20 years and somehow it finally didn’t pass the safety standard.” The quarterback has previously sported a Schutt Air XP Pro Q11 LTD during his games with the Jets. That helmet is rare in the NFL. Only names like Joe Flacco, Thomas Morstead, and Nick Folk have worn it. Regardless of this grievance, Rodgers has pleasantly surprised viewers with his performance at the minicamp.

According to Richie Walsh of KDKA on 93.7 the Fan, the gap between Rodgers and Rudolph was “night and day.” And the 41-year-old former MVP was throwing darts in shorts like it was 2011. “I know it’s just throwing footballs around in shorts, but he still has an arm,” said Walsh.

“He’s slinging it around…It just comes out so quick, and he’s slinging it, he’s firing it. There’s some zip on that ball. Throwing 30 yards down the field with some zip.” Walsh also noted that Rodgers was moving well during the drills. Rodgers appeared agile, accurate, and sharp despite his age and the Achilles injury that cut short his 2023 season in four snaps.

Perhaps an extended offseason has helped him rejuvenate physically and mentally. That would have been important for someone who essentially lived in the training room towards the end of the last season. But what’s going on with Mason Rudolph?

Well, Rudolph chose the high road when speaking to Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He said that he saw it coming. He had a “feeling.” But he plans to focus on his routine and stay prepared. “It won’t change my approach. We’ve got one more week of practice coming up, our mandatory minicamp. It will be nice to get everybody in the building. I’ll keep doing what I’ve done my whole career. I’ve had plenty of adversity and found a way to battle through it. I stayed ready to play well when called upon.”

Rudolph, who once backed up Ben Roethlisberger and endured a whirlwind of quarterback auditions, is accustomed to this storyline. Now, despite a strong finish last season and the expectation he’d finally start Week 1, he’s back in the backup chair. Pittsburgh may have its most stable quarterback room since Roethlisberger’s prime. They have Rodgers at QB1, Rudolph as a reliable backup, and Will Howard growing behind them. And now, everyone is watching to see how far Rodgers can lead this squad. And whether he is more than just a $13.65 million stopgap. But now that Rodgers is under center, the topic of discussion is changing from arm strength and depth charts to job security and playoff expectations.

Aaron Rodgers’ arrival raises the heat on Mike Tomlin’s legacy

Chad Johnson didn’t sugarcoat the heat Aaron Rodgers has brought upon Mike Tomlin’s legacy. Rodgers could get Tomlin fired. The worst-case scenario—the Rodgers experiment fails and Tomlin is held accountable—was outlined by Shannon Sharpe, Chad Johnson, and Matthew Judon on Nightcap. “If he doesn’t play well, players get coaches fired, man. Tomlin’s going to be on the hot seat…I think if they have a bad season, Mike Tomlin will be on the hot seat,” Johnson said. Despite the fact that Rodgers’ contract is full of incentives (up to $6 million more for playoff success), Tomlin’s tenure may come under long-overdue criticism if he fails to deliver.

Sharpe reminded listeners that Pittsburgh hasn’t fired a coach in decades. “Bro, the Steelers haven’t fired a coach since 1969…I don’t think it’s enough (to have a winning season). (Tomlin) is the one that says ‘the standard is the standard.’ If the standard is getting to — or competing for Super Bowls — they haven’t competed for a Super Bowl for a long time,” Sharpe said. “When was the last time someone thought the Steelers would be a threat in the playoffs? We’re talking, bare minimum, five years. They haven’t been a serious threat since Ben (Roethlisberger).”

Rodgers may have stolen the headlines this week, but he may also be holding Mike Tomlin’s job in his hands. If he wins, he’s the veteran savior. If he fails, Pittsburgh might do something it hasn’t done since Sharpe was born—fire a head coach. What do you think?