Aaron Rodgers has been balling this season. He’s thrown for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns, guiding the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 4-2 start. His most commendable performance came last week when he completed 23-of-34 for 249 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. His passer rate has improved to 105, and his completion rate is at 68.6% which confirms that he still has an elite touch in the game. But now his presence seems restricted to just “on field”.

Aaron Rodgers’ appearance on The Pat McAfee Show appears to be coming to an end. He hasn’t been featured on the show’s in-season segments to stay away from any trouble. Even analysts feel the same.

On the NFL on NBC, Mike Florio said, “Without any announcement, without any fanfare, he just stopped doing Pat McAfee Show on Tuesdays.”

This might be for multiple reasons, including some speculations that revolve around the Steelers’ decision makers and the coach, so that the QB does not say anything controversial about the team or its staff, which the QB has a habit of doing in the past. It’s also a situation that’s familiar to what Ben Roethlisberger did.

Back in 2019, Roethlisberger had to shut down his own radio talk show, 93.7 the Fan, at the advice of Art Rooney II. Roethlisberger once criticised his teammates, and Rooney had to step in to change that. “When Ben was doing a show with us. He said so many controversial things, critical things sometimes of teammates and the coaching staff, that when he signed his last contract, it was either written into the contract or he was told by Art Rooney. You’re done with that show.”

“You can come on our station, you can still do media hits, but we don’t want you doing that anymore. And at that point, Ben really didn’t have as much leverage as he did during his prime. And I think he probably saw where they were coming from, and so he bagged it, he was done with it,” Andrew Fillipponi revealed.

Well, while the fans connect the dots to the past, Andrew also shared how he doesn’t feel the owners or any front office names are involved this time.

“I don’t think that’s the case with McAfee. I know Tomlin, Omar Khan, really everybody in the organization loves them. He’s from here. They basically set up a gigantic set for him when he went to a training camp this summer. I think it was the only team that did that for him. That kind of media availability and events. So, I think this is a Rodgers decision. Maybe it’s a joint decision with McAfee.”

Rodgers’ leadership is getting the job done

With just 5 interceptions this season, the Steelers are thriving because of the 41-year-old. Apart from leading the AFC North division, the Steelers have two 30-point performances and also rank in the top 10 of the most power rankings. Pittsburgh is Aaron’s third franchise in his 21-season-long career. He has lifted the team with an average per pass attempt of 7.4. And the QB is not only restricted to lifting the offense but has also acted as a catalyst to strengthen the defense as well.

His contribution seems to be so beneficial that the Steelers have been relying on his insights to prepare for their upcoming game against Green Bay, one prominent team insider said. “Safety Juan Thornhill confirmed today that the Steelers have been using Aaron Rodgers to help on the scout team this week to prepare for the (Green Bay) Packers,” reported Christopher Carter on Thursday.

Rodgers has spent 18 years with the Packers and even won Super Bowl XLV for them. He knows the franchise in and out. Even though the offense has shifted a bit with Jordan Love under centre, Rodgers still has a better understanding of how to replicate the knowledge of the defense in Green Bay. “He knows their system, the tempo that they’re going to go at. It’s definitely going to help us out,” safety Juan Thornhill told Alan Saunders of Steelers Now after Thursday’s practice.