The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone through a ton of different experiments at the quarterback position ever since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger at the end of the 2021 season. The only player to be the Week 1 starter in back-to-back years since Roethlisberger retired has been Aaron Rodgers, and he is currently in the middle of what he said would be his last year in the league. He plans to retire after the 2026 season concludes. He has been a polarizing figure in the NFL throughout his career, and a lot of that has to do with how he acts towards some of his teammates, which has been seen on the field through the first four games of the season.
Jared Wickerham / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers throws his hands up at a no call during a win over the Atlanta Falcons in 2026.
Rodgers has been seen yelling at coaches and players as recently as Week 4, but that's just a part of how he leads. All of his teammates have said nothing but good things about him since he joined the franchise during the 2025 offseason, but the media drags out a lot of these confrontations and turns them into something they're not.
Veteran wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is a new face that was brought to Pittsburgh via trade as he was acquired from the Indianapolis Colts just ahead of the start of free agency. He has said in the past that he knew Rodgers a little bit from working out together a few times during the offseason in California, but this was the first time they would be playing together. The veteran joined Yahoo! Sports to discuss what it has been like getting to know Rodgers, and how the legendary quarterback works with his wide receivers.
"So Aaron's style is kind of like, throw you into the fire," Pittman said. "When I first got there, we didn't have a single meeting about signals, nobody told me. I'm sitting there trying to ask people, and he would just look out and give me signals that I had never seen before. And then he would snap it really quick, and I would just be wrong. I was scrambling to try to learn these signals, he would pull them out anytime. You get like a base amount and think you've learned all of them, but there's like 50 more. But it's almost like you learn it better once you mess it up the first time because you don't want to mess it up again."
Pittman was acquired by the Steelers before it was announced that Rodgers would be returning for another season. Once it was announced that the quarterback would be signing on for another year, it became clear that he would be at all of the offseason activities and minicamp. This is the time Pittman is likely talking about in the interview, and there was certainly a learning curve.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. makes a catch in Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rodgers did not sit down with Pittman or anything like that to make sure that the receiver knew his hand signals, instead he threw him into the fire. This probably explains a few of the reports that came out during the offseason and toward the start of training camp that suggested that the two were struggling to get on the same page. It was really just Pittman getting used to Rodgers and some of his hand signals. Pittman eventually said that he sought out the backup quarterbacks to help him get up to speed.
Steelers Need More From Michael Pittman Jr.
Pittman is currently dealing with a nagging foot injury, and it was announced on Thursday that it is expected to be a multi-week injury. He already missed a game back in Week 2, and on the season he has just seven receptions for 89 yards. More was expected from him when the organization made a deal to acquire him, and hopefully he will be able to deliver more once he returns from his foot injury.
What do you think about Pittman's story? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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