For months, every time a player was spotted in Steel City, the fans didn’t just ask them for autographs or selfies. There was a question on everyone’s mind that got asked repeatedly. “So, is Aaron coming?” But now, the ‘ifs’ and ‘when’ finally have answers. What remains now for the Steelers is to figure out the ‘how’ as they gear up for the new season. Since Big Ben hung up his cleats three years ago, the ‘how’ has been haunting the Steelers locker room. But now, Aaron Rodgers has finally geared up in black and gold. And his new teammates believe their prayers have been answered at last. 

Aaron Rodgers joins the Pittsburgh Steelers with a $19.5 million contract, wearing the familiar No. 8 on his back. But his one year with the team won’t simply be a walk in the park. The stakes are high for the team that hasn’t seen the playoffs in a long time. And is Aaron Rodgers the missing piece that the Steelers have been waiting for all these years? Steelers’ veteran TE Pat Freiermuth believes A-Rod might have been the best thing to happen to Steel City since Ben Roethlisberger. And he’s made his feelings known while taking a sideswipe at their old QBs, too.  

On Not Just Football with Cam Hayward, Pat Freiermuth made an appearance to have an in-depth discussion on Aaron Rodgers. Being in the locker room since 2021, Freiermuth has already seen four quarterbacks up close. There’s Big Ben, of course. And there’s Kenny Pickett, Russell Wilson, and the latest one to switch teams, Justin Fields. The question for Freiermuth was, “How do you think Rodgers stacks up and compares against all of them?” Freiermuth’s answer? “I think he’s similar to Ben in a way where like he’s going to trust you to where you’re going to be and like he’s going to throw you open if that makes sense.” Freiermuth also noted this was the kind of play that was missing from Wilson and Pickett, but Big Ben did it best. “And it’s not like Russ would throw us open, Kenny, like the same thing.” 

Trusting your teammates and letting them do their thing on the field. That’s what has been missing from the QB room since Big Ben’s retirement, according to Pat Freiermuth. He further added, “But I think Ben is more so and Aaron I can see on film where he’s expecting you to be somewhere and if he trusts you, he’s going to throw to that spot and go let you make a play.” Being the Steelers veteran who’s caught passes from Big Ben, Freiermuth sees that same playmaking ability in Rodgers is a big cause of hope in Steel City. The question for the Steelers now is whether A-Rod can take the place of the legendary Big Ben. That’s something that will only be answered once the season begins. But at least for now, Pat Freiermuth has a lot of workout plans with his new QB. 

Pat Freiermuth’s training goals with A-Rod

With Aaron Rodgers set to lead, the usual playbook gets just a little bit more complicated. A-Rod will add his own MVP flair to the plays. And how that translates with the rest of the team will determine their chances this season. As for Pat Freiermuth, the Big Ben comparison didn’t stop as he looked forward to working with A-Rod. As Freiermuth said, “I think he’s similar to Ben in a way where you know he sees the game in a certain way… not just me but everyone on the offense if we can get on that same page of seeing where he sees the defences and where he wants the routes to go and the ball placement stuff. I think if we get on that same page, the quicker we can do that, the quicker the offense is going to go.”  

Aaron Rodgers has always been big on teamwork. And Pat Freiermuth is looking forward to seeing that in action himself. Watching films with the team and breaking down plays. From the TE’s point of view, there’s a lot of excitement in store for Freiermuth. “I’m excited to get to understand what he’s seeing coverage wise underneath and in the middle of the field and you know, throwing me open and stuff.” The mission going forward is simple. Freiermuth will work on building a synergy with Rodgers, using every play that comes naturally to him as a TE. While Freiermuth eagerly waits to get in the groove with Rodgers, the general air of excitement in the locker room is undeniable. 

As Aaron Rodgers faces his old teams this season, he also has a chance to make history. Scoring a victory over the Packers, he’ll become the fifth QB in NFL history to defeat all the teams. There’s also the added spice of going up against a team that didn’t give him a shot to play. With Aaron Rodgers gearing up for another chance at MVP, do you think he will be able to step into Big Ben’s shoes and lead the team to greatness once again?