This isn’t about legacy anymore. It’s about velocity, accuracy, and chemistry. It’s about whether Aaron Rodgers, who hasn’t played a playoff game since 2021, can still lead. Mike Tomlin’s playoff win drought is closing in on a decade. He didn’t bring A-rod to be a tabloid attraction. He brought him to win in January. Right now, though, Pittsburgh’s biggest star looks more like a headline than a solution. And until those changes, the HC doesn’t just have a quarterback controversy, he’s got a full-blown Aaron Rodgers problem.
Aaron Rodgers arrived in Latrobe but left everyone squinting. “You weren’t able to see any of that yesterday,” Mark Kaboly said on his podcast with Mack. “It was 90 minutes, basically a glorified walkthrough.” No deep shots. No wow moments. Just short, safe passes, like a seven-yard out to Scotty Miller. For a 41-year-old quarterback trying to command a Super Bowl-ready roster, that’s not going to calm nerves. Mike Tomlin needs urgency. But what he’s getting right now is a legend pacing himself, and Pittsburgh doesn’t have time to wait.
On the first team-period snap of training camp, Rodgers threw an underthrown ball into traffic on the left side. Patrick Queen read it, jumped the route, and picked it off. It was meant for DK Metcalf, but Queen simply beat them both to the spot. A few moments later, Rodgers had another pass swatted into the dirt by Cameron Heyward.
It wasn’t just the drills. It was the atmosphere. “That scrum around him yesterday was 50 deep,” Kaboly further reported. Reporters, influencers, and TMZ lined the hillside. “They’re hanging out trying to catch glimpses of him,” Mack added. That’s not football. That’s a spectacle. It’s no longer just about how Rodgers plays. It’s about how many cameras catch it. For Mike Tomlin, who values control, discipline, and tight messaging, the growing chaos around his new QB has to feel like a storm creeping in.
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Rodgers even admitted it; this isn’t just sports media anymore. “It’s TMZ hanging out on the hillside,” he said, acknowledging the circus. But self-awareness doesn’t cancel distraction. Rodgers hasn’t aired out a single deep shot in a team period. There’s been no test against live pressure, no downfield timing throws. “They’ll gradually build up the different throws,” Kaboly noted. That may work in theory. But in Pittsburgh, the pressure cooker isn’t cooling off anytime soon. Especially when the defense is already outplaying the offense in every drill.
The Steelers defense is no joke. Top five in turnovers, top five in sacks last season. TJ Watt, Cam Heyward, and Minkah Fitzpatrick, all Pro Bowlers. Add in DK Metcalf and Pat Freiermuth, and this team isn’t building, it’s contending. So when Rodgers opens camp with short throws and hesitant footwork, fans start asking questions. And they’ll keep asking until Rodgers delivers. As Mack put it bluntly, “It’s just going to get worse before it gets better.” That’s not panic, that’s just where the story is headed.
Mike Tomlin set to release a QB
At first, the quarterback room felt like uncharted ground. Skylar Thompson, a seventh-round flyer with a couple shaky NFL years, was supposed to be the experienced underdog. But then came Aaron Rodgers. Pittsburgh gave the four-time MVP a one-year, $13.65 million deal, with $6 million more in incentives. That wasn’t just a signing. That was a seismic shift. Suddenly, the quarterback hierarchy wasn’t wide open. It was walled off.
Rodgers didn’t just take over the QB1 spot, he became the emotional engine of the team. And with Mason Rudolph returning on a two-year, $8 million deal, the Steelers had stability at QB2. Will Howard, the rookie out of Ohio State, isn’t hiding in the shadows either. He threw for over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns last fall. Mike Tomlin is amazed at all of them.
Thompson? He’s stuck in purgatory. A few years ago, he was Miami’s playoff emergency button, nearly beating Buffalo in the 2022 Wild Card round. But since then? A total fade. Moreover, he didn’t take a snap in 2023. His lone 2024 appearance came against Seattle, where he left early with a rib injury during a 24–3 blowout. His career line now sits at 721 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions. A 66.1 passer rating. For a third-string QB on a playoff-hungry team, that’s not going to cut it, especially when a high-upside rookie is breathing down your neck.
All in all, a release feels inevitable now. Maybe not this week, maybe not until final cuts, but it’s coming. Skylar Thompson’s window in Pittsburgh is shutting fast. Rodgers commands the headlines. Rudolph holds the clipboard. Howard owns the future. Thompson, once a playoff starter, now finds himself hoping for a fourth spot that may never exist. In a quarterback room full of momentum, his story has stalled. The NFL doesn’t wait for anyone. And in Pittsburgh, that lesson is landing hard way.
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