All eyes are on Pittsburgh and whether the partnership between the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers will work out this season. Even former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is weighing in on the matter.

After months of rumors, Rodgers officially signed with Pittsburgh earlier this week and arrived in time for mandatory minicamp. There has been some speculation that Rodgers, who has been known to be particular about the offense he runs, will not be given free rein of the Steelers' playbook as much as he may be accustomed to, but Roethlisberger seems confident that Rodgers will get to do as he pleases in the black and gold.

“There’s no way you can tell Aaron Rodgers you can’t check the line of scrimmage,” Roethlisberger said on the ‘Footbahlin' podcast. “I was told that they told Russ[ell Wilson] that he couldn’t. They are a different player, I get that. But I can’t imagine that he’s going to be like, ‘Hey, Aaron, you run what I call every time.’”

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Roethlisberger theorized that Rodgers may be given greater freedom in changing plays at the line of scrimmage than Wilson because of different “egos” and the “trust” needed between the offensive coordinator and quarterback. Wilson, like offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, was new to Pittsburgh last season after their respective departures from the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.

Rodgers comes to the Steelers after two disappointing seasons with the New York Jets. In his first year, which was highly anticipated, Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon in the first game, ending his season immediately. After recovering from the injury, Rodgers failed to lead the Jets back to the playoffs as had been expected; instead, New York went 5-12 and fired head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas during the season.

Amid a front-office and coaching staff overhaul, the Jets parted ways with Rodgers, who, at 41 years old, is the oldest player in the NFL. Rodgers had reportedly contemplated retiring after the 2024 season, but after Wilson and Justin Fields, the Steelers' top two quarterbacks last season, left for the New York Giants and Jets, respectively, the four-time NFL MVP had a logical landing spot for what will be his 21st season in the league.