Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive tackle Cameron Heyward recently said on his podcast, “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward,” that he wouldn’t go on a “darkness retreat” to get quarterback and four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers in the black and yellow (Rodgers went on a darkness retreat following the 2022 season).
The defensive lineman also said that he wanted the team’s quarterback situation to be “done” and that the decision for Rodgers is “simple” in that he either wants to play for the Steelers or he doesn’t.
Heyward set the record straight on those comments.
“Yes, it was misconstrued,” Heyward said on NFL Network Wednesday about his recent remarks on Rodgers. “From my point of view, I was asked the question of, ‘Would you go to the lengths of going to a darkness retreat to recruit Aaron Rodgers?’ I said, ‘I’m not doing that.’ The pitch is: If you wanna be a Steeler, be a Steeler. It wasn’t meant that I don’t like Rodgers, or I’m against it.
“I think when I look at our team right now, it would be really cool to have a guy like Aaron Rodgers, but I can’t be the guy who gets it over the finish line. I think he’s got to make those decisions for himself.”
Rodgers, who the New York Jets released earlier this offseason after two seasons, remains a free agent, with the Steelers, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants having been consistently linked to him throughout the offseason. Last season, Rodgers totaled 3,897 passing yards, 28 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions and a 90.5 passer rating, while completing 63% of his passes in a 5-12 campaign for the Jets.
Earlier this offseason, the Steelers reunited with quarterback Mason Rudolph, who started 13 games for them from 2018-23 before spending the 2024 season with the Tennessee Titans. At the same time, they’ve lost their No. 1 and 2 quarterbacks from last season to free agency, as Russell Wilson (12 combined starts in 2024) signed with the Giants and Justin Fields (six starts in 2024) signed with the Jets.
While the Steelers could potentially select a signal-caller in the 2025 NFL Draft, the veteran options are dwindling, as Jameis Winston also recently signed with the Giants. Outside of arguably Carson Wentz, free-agent quarterbacks with extensive starting experience that are as good as Pittsburgh’s 2024 quarterbacks (Wilson and Fields) are slim. Rudolph and Skylar Thompson are the two quarterbacks currently on Pittsburgh’s roster.
On that note, Heyward has a pitch to the 41-year-old Rodgers.
“I have not had any communication with him [Rodgers]. I was actually with some strength coaches that day he was in the building. I think they were trying to get everybody out of the building so they could just have a conversation with him. But what I would say to him? I would just say, you know, if you come to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the goal is to win,” Heyward said. “You know, we haven’t had the success we want, but the goal is still in mind to raise a Lombardi and bring that seventh one to Pittsburgh.
“We don’t really care about the glitz and glam of New York, but the focus is on good hard football, competing every day, challenging each other, trying to go from there.”
Are the Steelers making a mistake waiting on Aaron Rodgers?
Last season, Heyward totaled eight sacks, 71 combined tackles and a career-high 11 passes defended. Heyward, a four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler, ranked first among defensive linemen in overall grade (90.3), third in pass rush grade (87.1) and fifth in run defense grade (79.6), per PFF. He’s entering his 15th NFL season in a career spent entirely with the Steelers.
The Steelers are coming off a 10-7 season that saw them lose to the AFC North-rival Baltimore Ravens in the wild-card round and lose five consecutive games (regular season plus postseason) to end the season.
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