At first glance, Aaron Rodgers‘ mentoring young quarterbacks like Jordan Love might’ve seemed like a formality—Beast Mode meets the apprentice, you know? But what really happened was anything but surface-level. Despite some initial awkwardness, Rodgers didn’t just let Love learn by osmosis—he actively asked questions, critiqued footwork, and treated him like a teammate, not a kid in the shadows. Love later said he “learned a lot… was able to watch a great quarterback…and was able to sit for three years and kind of just pick his brain and watch him work.”

Now shift that lens to Pittsburgh, where Rodgers has settled into a QB room with rookie Will Howard. In minicamp, Rodgers plopped down next to him—field, meeting room, wherever—and asked Howard a couple of things that they hadn’t really gone over yet. Howard’s reaction? Shocked and honored: “Holy s— man, Aaron Rodgers is asking me questions right now, and I’m answering them. What is going on?” Howard said on the Chipped Ham & Football Podcast.

“He’s been so awesome to me so far…He’s (Rodgers) like, literally, ‘As much or as little as you want me to help you, I’ll be there.'” Safe to say the 41-year-old quarterback is on his way to lead the Steelers‘ offense, all while developing the rookie QB to take charge from the next season. And the Steelers’ newly signed cornerback Darius Slay couldn’t agree more.

Slay recently stopped by ESPN’s Mina Kimes’ Podcast, where he talked about the expectations for Aaron Rodgers. When asked about Rodgers’ strength, football-wise, at this point in his career, Slay noted that Rodgers is older now but still lays everything out without hesitation. “I think he’s a great addition because the fact that we got a younger guy (Howard) that just got drafted from Ohio State,” Slay explained. “He could really like, you know, train him (and) help him get to where he’s at.”

Coming from a Super Bowl run with the Eagles, Slay signed a one-year, $10 million deal with the Steelers this offseason. The veteran cornerback knows a thing or two about Rodgers’ gameplay and persona, given that he played against him in the same division for seven seasons. Slay believes that the four-time MVP is a great addition to the Steelers, considering he will mentor the former Buckeyes quarterback.

However, the veteran corner also noted that even though Rodgers is older now, his arm strength is still impressive. It’s not exactly what it was when he was 20, sure. But Rodgers can still place the ball exactly where it needs to go, only where the receiver can catch. “Of course it’s not like he’s 20 but it’s still the fact that he can still get the ball to where position with a receiver can only make the play on it.” And that’s the kind of detail that rookie Howard hopes to absorb under Rodgers’ mentorship.

Will Howard wants Aaron Rodgers to overstep

The Steelers are yet to find a franchise quarterback after the 2021 season. They did place their bet on the former Buckeyes quarterback, Will Howard, in the 2025 NFL draft, but let’s face it—Mike Tomlin and Co. aren’t much thrilled about the rookie QB. “He’s doing great, but again, we’re at the very beginning of it,” Tomlin said. Howard, on the other side, is all hyped up for his rookie season and is focused on outworking everyone.

“I may not be the most talented guy in the world all the time, but I’m going to outwork everybody,” Howard told Missi Matthews of Steelers.com a few weeks ago. Indeed. And given that the Steelers brought Aaron Rodgers, Howard’s desire to become the QB1 is inching closer to reality. Because the way things are shaping up, it’s safe to say that the 23-year-old QB isn’t wasting time to turn the tables in the Steel City.

Recently, in one of his interviews, Howard revealed that Rodgers is trying his best not to “overstep,” but the rookie quarterback wants to learn whatever Rodgers thinks and knows. “When he says it, he’s like, ‘I don’t want to overstep,’ I’m like, ‘dude, you’re—please, please by all means, tell me whatever you think,” Howard explained in an interview.

The Steelers brought Rodgers on a one-year, $13.6 million deal after months of speculation. And now that Rodgers is in the Steel City, he was crystal clear about one thing: “I’m gonna be with him (Howard) every single day in every single meeting… found my seat next to him...” He mentored Jordan Love in Green Bay in the same way. And now he’s doing it in Pittsburgh, mentoring Howard.