Did Ex-Cal Star Aaron Rodgers Halt Rumors of His Interest in Steelers?

Packers QB clarified his last week’s comments about his respect for Mike Tomlin

Former Cal star Aaron Rodgers is a great interview subject because he is thoughtful with his answers and provides honest, straightforward responses.

The downside of this unusual trait is that it leads to rampant speculation – especially for someone who is a three-time MVP and said in the offseason that he wanted to play for another team. So this week Rodgers had to respond to rumors that he was interested in joining the Pittsburgh Steelers based on his comments last week regarding Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

The rumor mill started churning in full force last week after his appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, when he voiced his admiration for Pittsburgh people and his respect for Tomlin a few days before the Packers played Pittsburgh last week.

"I've been around a lot of Pittsburgh people over the years. I have loved my time with all of them," said Rodgers. "I have learned to speak the [Pittsburgh accent] really well, which is actually allowed me to follow and become a big fan of Pittsburgh Dad. ... It's a great, blue-collar town. There's a lot of great people that live there. There's a lot of history in that city."

Rodgers spoke highly of Tomlin, too.

“I have a ton of respect for Mike," Rodgers said. "I think he's a fantastic coach. I love the way that he leads. I love that way that he talks after the games. He always seems to keep things really even keel. Looks like he's somebody that players love playing for."

Some analysts -- especially those in Pittsburgh -- concluded this might have been Rodgers’ way of angling for a trade to the Steelers roster next season. The theory was that Rodgers was letting Steelers officials know he would be amenable to joining the Steelers if Ben Roethlisberger was on his way out. The way Roethlisberger has played this season certainly makes it appear his pro career is nearing an end, so the folks in Pittsburgh were more than willing to buy in to the Rodgers-to-Pittsburgh rumor.

Speculation of Rodgers’ possible interest in the Steelers got a boost when Tomlin and Rodgers shared a nod during their Sunday game. It was Rodgers’ acknowledging Tomlin for calling a timeout before the Packers quarterback could catch the Steelers with 12 defenders on the field.

So Rodgers tried to put the brakes on the Steelers-speculation train this week. Sort of.

"I'm just speaking the truth," Rodgers said this week on the Pat McAfee Show. "Ask me a question about Mike Tomlin, I'm going to tell you how I feel about Mike Tomlin. If you want to take that and run with it and say I'm angling for some sort of next team or something, I'm not. I'm just answering a question about my respect for Mike and what he's accomplished in the league."

Rodgers did not silence the speculation completely, though.

"I'm a big Mike Tomlin fan. I have been for a long time,”Rodgers added. "I like the way that he speaks about his team. I like the way he goes about his business. I like his confidence. I've heard nothing but good things from guys that have played there. I like Mike Tomlin."

OK, so the Rodgers-to-Pittsburgh speculation will continue, but Rodgers also acknowledged he has had some on-field give-and-take with other opposing coaches. One assistant coach that he mentioned in particular was long-time NFL assistant coach Rod Marinelli, who was a Cal assistant coach many years ago. Marinelli was the Golden Bears’ defensive line coach for nine years from 1983 through 1991, more than a decade before Rodgers arrived on the Cal campus. Marinelli was on the Golden Bears’ staff when Troy Taylor and Mike Pawlawski were Cal’s quarterbacks and when current Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera was an allPac-12 linebacker for Cal.

As an added attraction, here some comments Rodgers made about NFL officiating that make sense:

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Cover photo of Aaron Rodgers is by Mark Hoffman, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, USA Today Network

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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