Rodgers credits Tomlin's unwavering belief for reigniting his career and leading the underdog Steelers on a playoff push.
Many critics believed the Pittsburgh Steelers were grasping at straws when they signed Aaron Rodgers as a free agent in the offseason.
Rodgers was the oldest player in the NFL and was coming off an undistinguished two-year stint with the New York Jets. He was nowhere near the quarterback who won four NFL MVP awards during his 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Yet Steelers coach Mike Tomlin believed Rodgers was still capable of being a winning quarterback. The 42-year-old rewarded Tomlin’s faith by helping the Steelers win their first AFC North title since 2020.
Now Rodgers leads the Steelers (10-7) into the playoffs. They host the Houston Texans (12-5) in a Wild Card round game on Monday night at Acrisure Stadium.
During his weekly press availability on Wednesday, Rodgers expressed his gratitude for Tomlin’s faith in him and how much he enjoys playing for the 19-year coach.
“It started back in April when I came out here and visited with him, and then the conversations that we had during those months," Rodgers said. "I've enjoyed my time with Mike immensely. Mike is a phenomenal leader. He's great in front of the room. We have our meetings on Wednesdays and Thursday mornings with the quarterbacks that are really, really helpful, seeing his perspective on the plan, on the opponent every single week. So, it's been a great experience. I really appreciate Mike, and I'm just thankful that he was a part of bringing me here."
The Steelers are underdogs against the Texans, according to the oddsmakers, and the franchise has lost six straight playoff games. Yet Rodgers feels the Steelers can make a postseason run.
After all these years, the playoffs still excite Rodgers. Monday night will mark his first postseason game since 2021, and Rodgers believes he is capable of rising to the occasion.
“When you're a kid, and you grow up and watch your idols, for me it was the guys with the ball in their hand late in the game,” Rodgers said. “It was Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Michael Jordan. The conversation around a lot of those guys is that there's an incredible belief that when it's the last seconds, and MJ's got the ball in his hands, he's going to make it. When it's ball on the 8-yard line, need a touchdown to win the game, and Joe's making comments about John Candy up in the stands, everybody kind of has a belief they're going to go down score. So, when you grow up reading about that stuff, you want to emulate your idols.”