LATROBE, Pa. — Aaron Rodgers‘ first training camp practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers looked a lot like his 2024 season with the New York Jets. While he occasionally showed flashes of his Hall of Fame potential, Rodgers’ afternoon included numerous plays that were short of the mark, starting with Patrick Queen’s interception on his first pass of training camp.
Rodgers showed some visible frustration during practice. Afterward, though, he displayed the perspective of a 21-year-old veteran who has been down this road many times before.
“It’s good to get that out of the way,” Rodgers said of Queen’s pick on a pass that was intended for DK Metcalf, who is sharing a suite with Rodgers during the Steelers’ time at Saint Vincent College.
Rodgers was off, but it’s important to remember that Thursday’s practice was his first time running plays with his new teammates. He didn’t participate in OTAs (he wasn’t signed yet) and he took mental reps during minicamp, which he participated in just days after he formally agreed to sign with Pittsburgh.
Obviously, being the four-time league MVP that he is, no one would have been surprised if Rodgers came out firing like the future Hall of Famer that he will eventually be. But that’s not what happened during a hot and humid practice that led to “a couple of heat-related illnesses,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said afterward.
Rodgers’ interception was an underthrow in traffic on the left side of the field that was snatched by Queen, who undercut Metcalf’s route. Shortly after that, Rodgers had a pass batted to the ground by defensive tackle Cameron Heyward. Rodgers then completed his first pass of the day, a short, underneath throw to Scotty Miller.
A little later in practice, Rodgers hit Metcalf in stride on a short slant pass, but the two-time Pro Bowler failed to complete the catch. Metcalf made up for it two plays later on what looked like the same play.
“Having a pass rush is a lot different than just throwing on air,” Metcalf said of his first live session with Rodgers throwing him the ball. “It’s the first day; those things are going to happen. He’s going to throw a lot of touchdowns. He’s going to throw some picks; hopefully not many, but that’s the game that we play. It’s exciting just to be out here.”
A pass attempt moments earlier from Rodgers to Metcalf was a microcosm on how the day went for the suitemates. On the play, Metcalf separated himself from two defenders that included cornerback Joey Porter Jr. But when Metcalf veered toward the sideline, he was unable to pull down Rodgers’ pass that — based on where it landed — seemed to indicate that the QB was anticipating Metcalf cutting back inside instead of breaking out.
While not ideal, the play reinforced the fact that this was the first day of training camp for an offense that underwent a major overhaul this offseason. Plays like that won’t cut it a month or even a week from now, but no one is losing sleep over it now.
“Absolutely not,” was Tomlin’s response when he was asked if he put any stock into Rodgers’ interception on his first pass attempt.
Specifically, it’s very reasonable to expect that Rodgers and Metcalf will quickly establish a rapport, given their recent history and the fact that they were be sharing a living space for the next several weeks.
“DK and I worked out in the offseason together,” Rodgers said. “We’ve got a good relationship. We’ve talked about a lot of football stuff. We FaceTimed, we texted during the offseason, after minicamp. We’ve got a good relationship. It’s going to keep on going.”
While his timing with his new teammates wasn’t great, Rodgers continues to display his lightning fast release that in NFL history is rivaled only by Hall of Famer Dan Marino. Rodgers’ fastball was especially evident on short passes to Pittsburgh’s running backs, an element of the offense that will be utilized this season. While the Steelers didn’t sign him to be a game manager, one can still expect a healthy dose of short passes this season if the opportunity calls for it.
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After practice, Rodgers was asked about GM Omar Khan’s recent comments about Pittsburgh’s roster being good enough to compete for a Super Bowl. Rodgers’ response was as enlightening as it was transparent.
“I think most of the 32 teams would probably say something to that accord at this time of the year,” he said. “But I think, you know, there’s really only 6-8 that really have a legitimate chance. Sometimes it’s 10-12. There’s teams that surprise you. I would say, on paper, we’re probably one of those 10-12.”
How can the Steelers go from being an “on paper” team to a legitimate Super Bowl team?
“I think it’s coming together in times like this with these 17 or so practices that we have here,” he said. “Finding the chemistry, hanging out with each other in the lunchroom. … Growing together throughout practice. Mike wants to practice at the hottest time of the day, which is interesting. But I love it, just because it’s a stresser. You see how guys respond to adversity.”
Now that we’ve summed up Rodgers, here’s some quick-hitters on some of the other notable nuggets from practice.
Injury rundown: Tomlin said that tight end Jonnu Smith and running back Cordarrelle Patterson could be described as day to day. Neither player participated in Thursday’s practice.
Mason in midseason form: While Rodgers was off, his backup, Mason Rudolph, played like the the eight-year veteran that he is. Rudolph, who spent his first six seasons in Pittsburgh before spending the 2024 season with the Titans, completed the day’s two biggest completions: an impressive, downfield strike to Miller and a similar completion to tight end Darnell Washington.
Kaleb Johnson shows early promise: The Steelers’ rookie running back has already drawn some comparisons to Le’Veon Bell, and he showed why several times on Thursday. One specific example was a big gain that came off a screen pass from Rudolph.
Block party: The Steelers’ defensive line batted two of Rodgers’ passes to the turf on Thursday. The second one led to Rodgers showing some signs of frustration.
Marquee matchup: Recently acquired Jalen Ramsey did a little bit of everything, including playing up at the line of scrimmage. It’s clear that the Steelers are going to explore all of their options with Ramsey while taking advantage of his versatility.
Iron sharpens iron: While everyone is anticipating his matchups with Ramsey, Metcalf had some notable reps Thursday against Joey Porter Jr., the former second-round pick who is looking for a breakout season while playing alongside veterans Ramsey and Darius Slay.
“He’s a great young player,” Metcalf said of Porter. “Looking forward to the matchup that we’ll continue to have. Going to try to sharpen him as much as I can, and I’m definitely going to be asking questions about what he sees from my game that I can work on.”
Tomlinism of the day: “When in Rome, he’s gonna be Roman,” Tomlin on Rodgers and the balance of him being himself while also adapting to the Steelers’ culture.
Quotable: “It’s been a lot of fun. It really has. I’m enjoying the process, and things are gonna get better and look better as we go, but I’m excited about where we’re at right now.” — Rodgers on the start of what will likely be his final NFL training camp
What’s next: The Steelers will practice again on Friday afternoon and will continue to have daily practices through Sunday.
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Author: Bryan DeArdo
July 24, 2025 | 7:06 pm
