Rodgers: Joining Tomlin, Steelers 'best for soul'

PITTSBURGH -- For Aaron Rodgers, continuing his playing vocation and signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers was a determination that was "best for my soul."

After officially signing his one-year, $13.65 cardinal declaration Saturday, the 41-year-old began his 21st play Tuesday by attending the archetypal time of mandatory minicamp astatine the Steelers signifier facility.

"I don't request it for my ego," the four-time MVP said successful his archetypal nationalist comments since April. "I don't request it to support playing. A batch of decisions that I've made implicit my vocation and beingness from strictly the ego, adjacent if they crook retired well, are ever unfulfilling. But the decisions made from the psyche are usually beauteous fulfilling.

"This was a determination that was champion for my psyche and I felt similar being present with manager [Mike Tomlin] and the guys that got here, and the accidental present was the champion for maine and I'm excited to beryllium here."

Though determination were discussions with different teams, including the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, Rodgers said the Steelers were the lone existent enactment for his 2025 season.

"There were conversations with different organizations, for sure," helium said. "But again, the rapport that fell successful betwixt maine and Mike made it to where, arsenic I was going done my idiosyncratic stuff, determination wasn't immoderate different enactment for me. It was present oregon not play."

More than 70 days passed betwixt Rodgers' covert sojourn to Pittsburgh aboriginal successful escaped bureau and him officially becoming a Steeler. He antecedently said connected "The Pat McAfee Show" that helium was delaying his determination arsenic members of his adjacent ellipse dealt with "difficult stuff."

He said helium signed present due to the fact that those circumstances were getting better.

"I was dealing with a batch of things successful my idiosyncratic life, and immoderate things improved a small spot wherever I felt similar I could afloat beryllium each successful present with the guys," said Rodgers, who added aboriginal he got joined wrong the past mates of months. "Had a large speech with Mike passim the full process and Omar [Khan, Steelers GM], but it's bully to get that done and get down us."

Rodgers reiterated that Tomlin was the superior gully for him, and the brace remained successful interaction passim his prolonged decision-making process.

"It starts with Mike Tomlin," helium said. "I've been a instrumentality of his for a agelong time. There's a fewer iconic franchises successful the NFL. I played for 1 of 'em for 18 years. This is different 1 of those. There's thing peculiar astir evidently this area. So galore large quarterbacks are from Pittsburgh. I consciousness similar Pittsburgh has been a portion of my vocation from the beginning."

Rodgers arrived astatine the squad installation astatine 7:19 a.m, and was greeted by a instrumentality who was speedy to archer him that the backmost broke his bosom erstwhile the Green Bay Packers bushed the Steelers successful Super Bowl XLV. At the squad gathering an hr later, Rodgers told the squad helium was "all in," halfway Zach Frazier said. During the day practice, Rodgers watched each of the squad periods and went 4th during the idiosyncratic backmost reps down Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and rookie sixth-round prime Will Howard. That was by plan arsenic Rodgers gets up to speed.

"I'll beryllium truly straightforward with you," Tomlin said, explaining the decision. "June reps are a heck of a batch much important for a feline similar Will Howard astatine this signifier of his vocation than the feline who's been doing it for 20 years. And truthful immoderate snaps helium gets you instrumentality distant from a feline similar Will Howard, and we're trying to get this corporate acceptable for grooming camp."

Though Rodgers has been a person successful his different 2 stops, helium demurred erstwhile asked if helium would instrumentality connected a akin relation wrong the Steelers offense.

"I conscionable privation to beryllium a servant person present and conscionable walk connected the cognition that I've had for 20 years, the acquisition and conscionable effort and acceptable successful with the guys, get to cognize 'em, fto them get to cognize maine and conscionable bask the process," helium said. "This is -- everything's new. It's similar the archetypal time of school. I don't cognize a batch of guys' names. They don't person names connected the backmost of the jerseys here. They don't person names connected the doors successful the gathering rooms. I virtually locomotion retired of the locker room, lost, effort and drawback somebody, 'Hey, wherever americium I going?' But I'll get the consciousness of it and I'm excited astir making this home."