Aaron Rodgers doesn’t hold back and publicly embraces his role as the leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers. His message was loud and clear to head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show.
“I really want the mantle of leadership on offense and I’m going to earn it every single day in training camp. There’s some stability that I can bring having played in a similar system for a long time and having just played a ton of football. I told the guys in the first meeting: ‘You know, I want to pass on my knowledge. I played 20 years and I want to share those experiences with whoever wants to learn.’ Offense, defense, team, whatever it is. About life, about football or about the mistakes I’ve made and how I learned from those on the field and off the field.”
Rodgers admitted that the defense has strong leadership with veterans like TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, but in this quest for the Super Bowl, he must take the reins of an offense that is young in key positions.
Who will be calling plays for Steelers?
Arthur Smith will be calling plays for the Steelers in the 2025 season, a topic that has been highly controversial in recent months for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh. Multiple reports indicated that Russell Wilson didn’t have the freedom to change plays at the line of scrimmage, and it’s well known that Aaron Rodgers is very prone to doing exactly that.
However, so far there haven’t been any complaints from either side. On the contrary, the veteran quarterback insists that all the necessary weapons are in place on offense to succeed within Smith’s system.
“On offense, there is good leadership. DK Metcalf is a lead by example guy. You’re talking about guys like Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson and other young guys. Then you got some older guys who’ve played some football. The Robert Woods and the Scotty Millers of the world. I really like the tight end room. In the backfield, I’ve been fan of Jaylen (Warren) and we got the rookie from Iowa (Kaleb Johnson). We got Gainwell who won a championship in Philly. It’s exciting to think what I can throw in there with my own energy, enthusiasm and knowledge.”