NFL News: Aaron Rodgers receives clear message and warning from key player for Mike Tomlin, Steelers ahead of final decision

Aaron Rodgers has Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers waiting. The veteran quarterback, who won one Super Bowl ring and was named NFL MVP four times in his illustrious career, is still a free agent but his future looks uncertain.

Before making his final decision for the 2025 NFL season, A-Rod received clear messages from Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, who has been a key player for Tomlin since joining the team in 2011.

The 35-year-old made headlines during the week after addressing the rumors linking Rodgers with the Steelers. During an episode of his podcast “Not Just Football,” Heyward let Rodgers know that he shouldn’t be taking so long.

Given the noise that his comments made, Heyward set the record straight during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” On Friday, the Steelers star made it clear that he wasn’t calling Rodgers out nor discouraging the quarterback from joining his team.

Cameron Heyward #97 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the first half of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on January 11, 2025 in Baltimore, Maryland.

“It’s funny. Everybody gave me crap,” Heyward said, via NFL.com. “They said I called him out. I don’t think I really called him out. I just said I was not going to go on a darkness retreat to recruit him. That if he wants to be a Steeler, he can be a Steeler. That’s the pitch. I don’t know why everybody thought, ‘Oh, Cam’s really going at him.’ Some fans felt like, ‘Oh yeah, keep doing that,’ and the other fans felt like, ‘Oh, man, you’re really gonna scare him off.’ I’m not scaring anybody off. I just want to win games and play good football.“

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Heyward’s warning about Steelers amid Rodgers rumors

Heyward, however, did warn Rodgers about something. While the quarterback would fuel the Steelers’ Super Bowl aspirations, Heyward made it clear that those who already are on Tomlin’s team will work to win a championship in the 2025 NFL season regardless of his presence.

“There’s some poetic moves being played,” Heyward said. “The last Super Bowl he won was against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and now we kind of need him to come over here and win a Super Bowl. But the thing I love is it’s not going to just be one guy. There’s a multitude of guys that if he does come here, they’re only locked in on that. If you walk into our locker room, every guy in that room is focused on trying to win a Super Bowl. We don’t go a day, we don’t go a minute, without talking about it. There’s a level of accountability he brings and expects from guys around him. As a defender, we love that. We’ll see what happens.”

Heyward’s viral comments about Rodgers

Before his latest appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show,” Heyward made viral comments on his podcast, which appeared to put pressure on Rodgers while he contemplated his future.

“I ain’t doing that darkness retreat. I don’t need any of that,” Heyward said, in reference to the retreat Rodgers did in 2023 before deciding to leave the Green Bay Packers for the New York Jets. “Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t. That’s simple. That’s the pitch. If you want me to recruit, that’s the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don’t, no skin off my back.

“I will never tell a man what to do or how to do it, but if you want to be part of the group, be part of the group,” added Heyward, who was drafted by the Steelers a few months after their Super Bowl XLV loss to Rodgers’ Packers.