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Brooke Pryor
PITTSBURGH — Per week after seemingly less-than-enthusiastic feedback concerning the prospect of quarterback Aaron Rodgers coming to Pittsburgh, Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward clarified his stance on the four-time MVP.
“It was misconstrued,” Heyward stated on NFL Community’s “Good Morning Soccer” on Wednesday morning. “I used to be requested a query, ‘Would you go to the lengths of going to a darkness retreat to recruit Aaron Rodgers.’ I stated, ‘I am not doing that. The pitch is, if you wish to be a Steeler, be a Steeler.’ That is all it was. It wasn’t that I do not like Aaron Rodgers or I am towards it.
“Once I have a look at our workforce proper now, it might be actually cool to have a man like Aaron Rodgers. However I can not be the man who will get it over the end line. He is obtained to make these choices for himself. I am excited to see what occurs.”
On his podcast, “Not Simply Soccer,” Heyward had responded with disdain to a query from co-host Hayden Walsh about becoming a member of Rodgers on a darkness retreat to recruit him.
“I ain’t doing that darkness retreat,” Heyward stated March 18. “I do not want any of that crap. Both you wish to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you do not. It is that straightforward. That is the pitch. If you’d like me to recruit, that is the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you wish to be a part of it, so be it. When you do not, no pores and skin off my again.”
The tone gave the impression to be a shift from Heyward’s all-out efforts to land Russell Wilson earlier than the 2024 season when the defensive lineman spent greater than an hour on FaceTime with Wilson to recruit him to Pittsburgh. Although Heyward stated Wednesday it might be “cool” to have Rodgers be a part of the Steelers, he acknowledged that he hasn’t had a dialog with the 41-year-old quarterback. The 2 additionally did not discuss when Rodgers visited the Steelers’ facility Friday.
“I’ve not had any communication with him,” Heyward stated. “I used to be with some power coaches that day he was within the constructing. I believe they had been making an attempt to get everyone out of the constructing so they may have a dialog with him.
“What I’d say to him, ‘When you come to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the aim is to win. We have not had the success we would like, however the aim remains to be in thoughts to boost the Lombardi and convey the seventh one to Pittsburgh. We do not actually care concerning the glitz and glam of New York, however the focus is on good, arduous soccer, competing every single day, difficult one another,’ and we have gotta go from there.”
The Steelers have been ready on a call from Rodgers for greater than two weeks, however the quarterback does not look like in any hurry to make one whilst his potential touchdown spots dwindle. Wilson, who spent final 12 months with the Steelers, agreed to a one-year take care of the New York Giants on Tuesday evening. Rodgers had a proposal from the Giants, however Wilson’s deal closed the door on that risk.
Nonetheless, Rodgers is working on his personal timeline. Heyward declined to offer a particular deadline of when he’d prefer to know Rodgers’ resolution however stated Wednesday he “hopes” will probably be achieved “sooner, quite than later.”
“I really feel like I am not [coach] Mike T [Tomlin] or [general manager] Omar Khan,” Heyward stated. “That is a call they have to make. Once you have a look at that call, you’d prefer it to be achieved by the draft. But when it is not, hopefully it is achieved earlier than the season, that is all I care about. We will have lots of issues in play. You wish to get to know your workforce, vast receivers, bringing over DK Metcalf, George Pickens, Pat Freiermuth, Connor Heyward, Jaylen Warren, all these totally different guys. You set them collectively, any quarterback’s going to wish to create a relationship and a bond there.”
