Aaron Rodgers Hypes Mike Tomlin's Steelers, Compares Historic Culture to Packers

Less than two months since he signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Aaron Rodgers has already discovered a lot of parallels between his current team and the organization he spent the first 18 years of his NFL career playing for.

Speaking to Michael Silver of The Athletic, Rodgers explained that the culture of the Steelers brings to mind what he saw during his time with the Green Bay Packers:

"This place reminds me of Green Bay. And I say that with the utmost amount of respect, because there are a few cornerstone franchises in the league, and we all know who those are. And there’s a reason they’ve had sustained excellence over the years. Obviously, they’ve won six Super Bowls here and Green Bay’s won 13 world championships. But there’s a way that they operate that sets them apart, and it’s kind of ingrained in the culture."

Rodgers went on to say that this feeling starts at the top of the organization with ownership and coaching staff that sets a steady tone for everyone else:

"I feel like because there is such a history of excellence that there’s almost an underlying, tacit way of carrying yourself. Some owners, these days, are quick to pull the trigger to make a change. But when you have the right culture, and it’s obvious what to do, the one thing that never changes, and shouldn’t, is the person at the top, leading from the front."

The Steelers, like the Packers, operate in such a way that gives their coaches and general managers the runway to put the pieces in place that make the team successful.

Mike Tomlin's streak of non-losing seasons is at 18 entering the 2025 campaign. It's the third-longest streak for a head coach in NFL history, behind Tom Landry of the Dallas Cowboys (21 seasons from 1965 to '85) and Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots (19 seasons from 2001 to '19).

Even though the ultimate prize of a Super Bowl has eluded Tomlin and the Steelers since the 2008 season, their level of consistency from year to year is remarkable. They have maintained it despite a lot of turnover at the quarterback position in recent years.

Four different quarterbacks have led the Steelers in passing yards in the past six seasons. Ben Roethlisberger and Kenny Pickett are the only players to lead them in that category multiple time since 2019.

Rodgers and Tomlin have spoken very highly of each other even before they started working together. Their mutual respect only seems to have gotten stronger since Rodgers signed with the Steelers in June.

The duo will hope their pairing leads to big things for the Steelers in 2025. Their six consecutive playoff losses dating back to the 2016 season is tied with the Miami Dolphins for the longest active streak in the NFL.