Steelers' Zach Azzanni Sounds Off On Aaron Rodgers Being Harsh Towards His Receivers

Fans may be concerned about the Pittsburgh Steelers' lack of depth at the receiver position, but wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni seems to be more than excited about his group of guys. He did not hesitate in giving Calvin Austin III the role of WR2, but that's just to start training camp. He still has to prove himself with all of the starter reps and make sure nobody leapfrogs him as the season goes on. Part of that is meshing well with his new starting quarterback: Aaron Rodgers. 

While speaking with Brooke Pryor of ESPN, Azzanni was asked about having a "demanding" quarterback like Rodgers throwing to his position group. He welcomed that kind of passer telling his players what to do.

"I love that challenge," Azzanni said. "I like that. I'd rather have someone that's dialed into the detail in the perimeter, and those guys ultimately have to be on the same page. I understand that he's hard on receivers, and I like that because I'm hard on receivers."

Rodgers has a history of being extremely hard on his teammates, especially if he's not comfortable with them. There are plenty of wideouts that can handle his abrasive personality, and he develops great relationships with those types of guys. However, there are players that get rubbed the wrong way by his way of doing things, and it results in a very rocky relationship that benefits nobody involved. 

For the first time in a very long time, Rodgers' will be throwing exclusively to players that he has never taken a snap with, barring a late trade. The big question is how the wide receiver room responds to Rodgers as a whole, as well as how each individual works with him. As long as they can mesh together and develop some chemistry, there shouldn't be too many issues between the quarterback and all of his weapons.

Azzanni mentioned that he is also hard on his wideouts. That may have helped condition them for handling Rodgers and working with them. It's very clear that poor route running and lack of attention to detail will not be tolerated. It won't be Azzanni punishing them; the quarterback will just not look at the receiver during a game if he keeps making these mental mistakes. Unless there's an actual heated argument, the receivers coach would likely side with the former MVP.

Steelers' Trade May Have Been Influenced By Rodgers

There had been rumors that George Pickens was traded away because Rodgers told the team that he wouldn't deal with him. Whether that was true or not, the idea that the 41-year-old was coming could have still given the team more reasons to make the deal happen. The last thing they want is for Rodgers' final season in the NFL to be full of drama and pairing him with Pickens would be asking for more drama. 

Pickens routinely had mental lapses during his time in Pittsburgh, and it would result in him and the team making headlines for all the wrong reasons. His antics resulted in numerous teammates being happy that he was sent away. If he stayed on the team with Rodgers, numerous fans and players would be waiting for disaster to happen and for a fallout to commence between the two players.

Rodgers has called out certain players publicly before, and Pickens likely would not take kindly to that. In the end, the young wideout would likely end up being traded, but with less of a return than what the Steelers received from the real-life trade. The team brought in DK Metcalf, and behind him is a bunch of young weapons that are eager to prove themselves at the NFL level, and it sounds like the veteran passer is excited to work with this hungry group.

What do you think about Azzanni welcoming Rodgers' supposedly demanding personality? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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