Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh still feels like one of those headlines you have to read twice. But rewind a little, back before the signing was even official, and you’ll see the drama that swirled around the Steelers‘ locker room. At the center of it was Cam Heyward, the veteran voice of the team. On his podcast, Heyward had some words that raised eyebrows. “Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, or you don’t. It’s that simple. That’s the pitch.”

The tone was sharp, the message blunt, and in true internet fashion, the quote took on a life of its own. Fast forward to now, with Rodgers finally donning the black and gold, and Heyward has circled back. While the 15th year DT has clarified his statement was “misconstrued,” sure. But this time, he addressed his initial pitch about Rodgers in front of the man himself.

“I have to apologize,” Heyward said to Rodgers on his latest episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast. “I guess my words were taken out of context when I asked you or when I said if you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or not.” Heyward wasn’t done. More than two months had passed since Rodgers touched down in the Steel City, and Heyward didn’t hesitate to press the question.

“How did you feel about that?” Cam asked. Turns out, Rodgers was hurt. “I was hurt,” the QB said. “I was hurt. You didn’t reach out, and you just wanted to make a statement in the media. You had preconceived notion of who I was.” It’s the script we’ve followed throughout the offseason. From Heyward to Terry Bradshaw, plenty of voices weighed in on Rodgers’ Pittsburgh arrival.

But in Heyward’s own words, his take was nothing more than “misconstrued.” A week after making the statement, he cleared the air on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football—revealing he was only answering a playful question about whether he’d chase Rodgers into a darkness retreat to get him in black and gold. “Yes, it was misconstrued,” Heyward claimed.

“From my point of view, I was asked the question of, ‘Would you go to the lengths of going to a darkness retreat to recruit Aaron Rodgers?’ I said, ‘I’m not doing that. The pitch is: If you wanna be a Steeler, be a Steeler. It wasn’t meant that I don’t like Rodgers or I’m against it. I think when I look at our team right now, it would be really cool to have a guy like Aaron Rodgers, but I can’t be the guy who gets it over the finish line. I think he’s got to make those decisions for himself.”

Rodgers’ signing with the Steelers raised some eyebrows, whether it’s before or after his arrival. And as it turned out, Cam Heyward just happened to find himself amidst this chaos. But with Rodgers now under center for 2025, it feels like the air’s cleared and the two vets are finally on the same page. After all, the 41-year-old QB is leading the Steelers’ QB room.

Steelers’ backup QB shared his perspective on Aaron Rodgers

Competition is high in the AFC North division. Baltimore and Lamar Jackson, along with Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow, are gearing up to flip things over in the 2025 season after the last season didn’t turn out in their favor. As for the Browns, they’re entering with a crowded quarterback room. So, it’s safe to say Aaron Rodgers is the best thing happened to the Steelers heading into the regular season.

He’s approaching the twilight of his career, and it’s reportedly his last season. Plus, the four-time MVP is leading a quarterback room that also includes Mason Rudolph as the expected QB1, with Skylar Thompson and rookie Will Howard competing for the QB3 role. And till now, Rodgers has managed to surprise his fellow QBs with his personality.

“I think he gets misinterpreted a lot because people judge a book by its cover and don’t really know him,” Thompson recently said about Rodgers. Mike Jones of The Athletic confirmed. “I’m not claiming that I really know him, but just being around him on a daily basis, he’s a good dude, cares about his teammates, holds people accountable. There’s a real desire for greatness that he expects all the time, and that’s been a great perspective for me.”

The Steelers haven’t won a postseason game for almost a decade now. And undoubtedly, they’re betting on a 41-year-old quarterback to end this drought. Will he? Won’t he? That remains to be seen.