There Is A "Connection Growing" As Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Might Have Found His New Favorite Target

The idea behind the Pittsburgh Steelers bringing back Aaron Rodgers for another season wasn't necessarily to once again have a stop-gap quarterback. The front office believes that the team can win now, and has invested as such throughout the 2026 offseason. The amount of success that ends up being enjoyed will depend on how quickly the entire roster can get up to speed with the new coaching staff's expectations. The good news for the franchise is that there is a four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer running the show in the locker room, which could be a huge help moving forward.

Barring injury, the Steelers will have the same starting quarterback in back-to-back season openers for the first time since he 2020 and 2021 campaigns. That matters in the grand scheme of things, regardless of who the individual is under center. Rodgers will not just get the opportunity to build off of some of the rapport that was established in 2025, but he will also potentially make new connections that could be the difference for the offense.

A lot of eyes will continue to be on second-round rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard, and rightfully so. Pittsburgh traded up to get him, and he is certainly going to get his opportunities to help throughout the year. However, someone else is deserving of a chance, and that would be Roman Wilson. The third-year wideout had the highlight play during the team's mandatory minicamp practice on Wednesday, per The Athletic's Mike DeFabo.

"The Pittsburgh Steelers put the ball in Aaron Rodgers’ hands with less than two minutes on the clock to close practice Wednesday," DeFabo wrote. "Facing a fourth-and-long, the 42-year-old quarterback reared back and let it rip. The ball sailed well over 50 yards in the air and hit Roman Wilson, in stride, streaking down the field for a touchdown."

There is more to this than just one impressive play. Not only is Wilson standing out, but he also could be in the driver's seat to start in the slot. The beat writer emphasized that something is being built in the Steel City.

"Rodgers-to-Roman connection growing," DeFabo labeled the header for this portion of his article. "The other takeaway from the play is that the Rodgers-to-Roman connection is in a much better place than it was a season ago. That deep pass to Wilson wasn’t the only one Wednesday. Even though the Steelers drafted Germie Bernard in the second round and he’s looked quite good, Wilson is clearly WR3 at this exact moment in an offense that will use a lot of three-receiver sets. His challenge will be to try to hold off Bernard for the rest of the season."

If the Steelers can get some strong play from Wilson, the offense will look completely different than it did in 2025. This is a fantastic update that ought to get the fan base excited.

The Steelers have not gotten anywhere close to what they wanted to from Wilson since he came onboard in the 2024 NFL Draft. He has struggled to find a role, and rookie-year injuries did not help his case.

Now, Pittsburgh is in a position not to just use the first-year playmaker in Bernard, but Wilson as well. Those two along with the veterans in DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. could make up for the most formidable pass-catching unit the Steelers have had in quite some time.

Steelers Are Very Optimistic For An Offensive Turnaround

Despite having Rodgers in 2025, the offense remained a bit stagnant at times, specifically in a Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans. If all of the players can get on the same page and the big men upfront can protect the quarterback, things may look a lot different for the Steelers. Wilson contributing and becoming a threat is only the tip of the iceberg, but it certainly is a huge development.

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