Before Aaron Rodgers finally made up his mind, the media hype was building for Mason Rudolph, who was the top quarterback on the roster at the time. After eight years of being the backup, Rudolph seemed to have a legitimate chance of finally being the starter until Rodgers came along. But that hasn’t caused any hard feelings. In fact, Rudolph seems borderline giddy to be working with the future Hall of Famer.
“I have to temper my warmth because I had a buddy send me a video and said, ‘Bro, your eyes are glazing over talking about Aaron Rodgers,’” Rudolph told 93.7 The Fan after practice on Saturday. “It’s been great. He’s been very helpful and just very friendly and open to questions.”
If there is one player on the team who has a reason to feel slighted by the addition of Rodgers, it would be Rudolph. Yet here he is, as excited as anybody.
The media spent most of the offseason talking up how big of a locker room issue Rodgers can be and how his personality would need to be reined in by Mike Tomlin. Things can change during the season when the stakes are higher and tensions build up, but Rodgers has been just another guy in the dorms at training camp.
Team president Art Rooney II said he’s most impressed by the way Rodgers has handled himself off the field in his brief time with the team.
“He has got a great social awareness,” Rudolph said. “He’s not trying to dominate the meeting or step on coaches’ toes, but when he’s got a nugget of wisdom, he is absolutely gonna speak up in a respectful way and communicate that to the room.”
That doesn’t sound like the ego standoff between Tomlin and Rodgers that many television analysts projected. It sounds like an ideal setup for productive conversations and better outcomes for the team.
The vibes around the team are as high as ever. Now, it’s up to the Steelers to make sure that translates onto the field so they can avoid any drama in the middle of the season. If it’s anything like the offseason, the media will be ready to pounce on Rodgers the first opportunity they get.
After signing, Rodgers told the team that he’s all-in and his goal is to share his wealth of knowledge with whoever will listen.
Rodgers has approached the situation with nothing but a humble attitude, and Rudolph’s obvious admiration for him speaks to that, perhaps more than anything else.