The Pittsburgh Steelers know that Aaron Rodgers is Mike Tomlin‘s favorite option for the 2025 NFL season. Therefore, the team is keeping the door open on the 41-year-old, who remains a free agent after a controversial departure from the New York Jets.
After months of silence, Rodgers made headlines with a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, where he left his future up in the air despite the Steelers rumors. But while he showed nothing but praise for Tomlin and company, A-Rod took a shot at his former team.
During his conversation with Pat McAfee, the four-time NFL MVP looked frustrated with the way the Jets handled his exit, claiming that they wasted his time by making him fly to NY only to tell him they’d search for a new QB.
“I figured that when I flew across country on my own dime that there was going to be a conversation,” Rodgers said. “… So, we sit down in the office, and I think we’re going to have this long conversation. I’ve flown across the country and, 20 seconds in, he goes … ‘So, do you want to play football?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m interested.’ And he said, ‘We’re going in a different direction at quarterback.’
Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“I was kind of shocked. Now I’m not shocked because I didn’t think that was a possibility. Listen, of course, if they want to move on, that’s totally fine, but shocked because I just flew across country. You could have told me this on the phone if we weren’t even going to have a conversation.”
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Cam Heyward defends Aaron Rodgers, calls out Jets’ behavior
While many NFL fans who don’t like Rodgers celebrated this situation, the Jets’ handling of A-Rod’s exit didn’t sit well with a Steelers star. Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, a key player for Tomlin, shared his support for Rodgers on social media.
“How can this be praised? This ain’t cool….,” Heyward wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) in response to a post claiming that fans around the NFL were praising Jets head coach Aaron Glenn for making Rodgers fly all the way to NY.
This reaction sparked a curious reply from Heyward’s brother Corey, who connected Cam’s response to the rumors linking Rodgers with the Steelers: “You better stand up for your teammate.”
The 7x Pro Bowler, however, made it clear that his thoughts on this topic have nothing to do with potentially having Rodgers as a teammate: “That ain’t business…communicate with agent if you don’t want deal with it.. has nothin to do with being my teammate.”
Heyward had to set record straight after viral pitch to Rodgers
It’s interesting to see Heyward come to Rodgers’ defense after an eventful offseason, in which he appeared to put pressure on A-Rod during an episode of his podcast: “Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, or you don’t. It’s that simple. That’s the pitch.”
His pitch went viral and created some sort of controversy, which is why Heyward immediately set the record straight during an appearance on Good Morning Football:
“Yes, it was misconstrued. 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,’ ” Heyward said.
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“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.”
