Pelissero: Aaron Rodgers Has Been ‘Good To Be Round’ In Steelers’ Locker Room

When the Steelers spent most of their offseason waiting on Aaron Rodgers to make a decision, they caught a lot of flack for it. Whether it was due to the fact that it was out of the ordinary for the franchise to wait so long, or Rodgers’ personality himself, many were unhappy with the franchise. Since joining, though, things have seemed to go rather smoothy with Rodgers. Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday, NFL insider Tom Pelissero agreed with that notion.

“He’s been really good in the building so far,” Pelissero said of Rodgers. “In the way that Aaron has treated people, gone about his business, getting to know his teammates. He’s been good to be around… He’s clearly motivated, he said himself this is one for his soul. Everything I’ve heard is that behind the scenes, he’s been good.”

All things considered, this is pretty refreshing to hear about Rodgers. He’s put himself in the spotlight, on and off the field, for various reasons over the past couple of years. Some of those reasons are earning him criticism, and the negative impact he could potentially have on the locker room might have worried Steelers fans. Those perceptions likely got stronger with the poor 5-12 season that Rodgers and the Jets endured last season.

However, Aaron Rodgers is in a different situation with the Steelers. They just want him to play quarterback. And he seems to be at peace with his decision. As Pelissero refers to, Rodgers claims his decision to play in Pittsburgh is one from his soul.

Part of the reason for that is the opportunity he has with Pittsburgh. No matter what happens, Rodgers will always be one of the more talented quarterbacks to ever play the game. However, his tenure with the Jets was bad. It definitely hurt his perception as his career came to a close.

Now, he gets to play for possibly the most stable coach in all of football. Rodgers is also entering a situation where he’s not getting the keys to the franchise and doesn’t have to micromanage anything. At his age, if he wants to have one last ride, there are far worse situations to do it. Even taking the Steelers to the playoffs can be seen as a good way to end his career, especially after his disappointing time in New York.

As for the Steelers, the longer this positivity continues, the better. Aaron Rodgers is already helping rookie Will Howard come along. There are plenty of other rookies across the roster in need of some veteran leadership, too. If Rodgers is already making a good impact on the locker room as a whole, that’s great news for Pittsburgh going forward.