June 10, 2025 • 39 mins
Uhler and Moats continue to discuss the Rodgers signing, and what it means for the Steelers expectations in 2025.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cueler and Motes are on the air.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
This is the Steelers Blitz on your twenty four to
seven home of the Black and Gold.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Lascan are Steelers Nation Radio Stealer's Nurse shad Our number two?
(00:30):
How are we doing?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Feeling like an MVP? Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Hopefully four times of that? Then make it a fifth
one coming soon. Arthur Mos Wesley Hulier having a blast
Man second hour of today's show, first time ever doing
the show with Aaron Rodgers as.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
A Pittsburgh Stealer officially, gotta love it, Gotta love it.
Speaker 4 (00:54):
But in that first we spent a lot of time
Man talking about what we liked about Aaron Rogers signing,
the optimism that we had surrounding it, and.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Just the feel good part. Right.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
But we know, like in everything's two sides to a coin,
which you like, but also what you don't like.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
So with Aaron Rodgers, we know he's very polarizing.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
What would you characterize from your perspective some of the
things that you view as cons to Aaron Rodgers officially
being a part of the Black and Gold.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Now, yeah, I gotta be honest with you, There's there,
there's there's definitely there's definitely fair things to discuss here,
But I don't as I thought about this because you
teased it earlier on in the show, Like eventually we're
going to talk about some of the you know, some
of the downsides or maybe some of the things that
you're not crazy about with with you know, bringing in
(01:47):
Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback. And I think I already
made my jokes about Super Bowl forty five, all right,
so we can put that, We could put that aside
here in an hour number two. There's not as many
as I as I as I think, and I think
a lot of the ones that people would immediately run
to I think could be blown out of proportion in
some ways.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
But there's obviously the fact that he's.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Forty one, going to be forty two years old here,
and that, you know, the only quarterback we've ever seen
really win and I'm talking like multiple playoff games in
a Super Bowl over the age of forty is Tom Brady.
And we all know that he is probably the most
unicorn of all the unicorns that have played this great
game of football.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So like, I think you have to start with his age.
Speaker 5 (02:32):
You know that the potential for just him to not
quite be the same, the potential for his athleticism to take,
you know, a bit of a hit, the potential that
you know, he's just already taken hundreds and hundreds of
hits in his career. And he's not in his twenties
or thirties anymore, you know, is he is? He a
little more injury prone at his age and not quite
(02:53):
as mobile as he used to be.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
All those different things.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
But like in terms of the on fields, that's about
it all that I got. I mean, I still think
he's playing at a high level. He is not Aaron
Rodgers from twenty twenty, which, even at age thirty seven
thirty eight I was maybe one of the best single
quarterback season I've ever seen in my life.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
I don't want.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
I can't sit here in good faith and say he's
still one of those unicorns like Mahomes or Josh Allen
or Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow. Like he's not a
bonafide easy top five quarterback anymore.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
But I think he's in that next group still.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
And I think last year a lot of dysfunction in
that organization, which to be fair, he's not completely absolved from, certainly,
but a lot of dysfunction in that organization that was
that way before he got there, and I think will
continue to be that way now that he's gone recovering
from a major, major injury at.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Forty years old.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
Man, what he was able to do down the stretch,
I think when he was back healthy, when they kind
of finally figured out what they were doing and as
a team, and when he got a wide receiver in
Devonte Adams that he's comfortable with, was was still not
top five, but top ten, top twelve quarterback play in
the National Football League, for sure. There's there's not a
(04:15):
ton of negatives for me in terms of the on
field stuff. Some of those those ones that I just
laid out, Yeah, he's gonna be forty two years old,
and and with that just naturally comes some things.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
But other than that, it's it's it's.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
You know, and and and obviously I would I would
be foolish, Arthur Motes if I didn't acknowledge the possibility
that there's a fracture in the relationship that this thing,
you know, blows up, if you want to say to
use that term.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Right.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
But but I think with the point that he's at
in his career in wanting to end that strongly with
the stability that the Pittsburgh Steelers organization has and and
their positions of leadership from top to bottom. I again,
it's not impossible, but I see that as being a
very very slim reality. Those are really the only two
things for me to list though, just the age and
(05:02):
what naturally comes with that, and and the potential volatility,
which I think is very low in a place like
this at a time like this in his career.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
But those would be the two things I would mention.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
I like to agree with you on all of those things, unfortunately,
but I would also like to add as well, obviously,
think from a inside the locker room perspective. The media,
the talk show a talk show, but it's one thing
to have a local radio show.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
We wouldn't be genuine if we did. If we didn't
mention some of these things. It's it's a it's a
real thing.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
It's one thing to have the local radio show.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
I think back to when Big Ben was doing his
local radio appearances right and how locally, how loud that
could get if he said certain things, especially after a
perform homs where they didn't win, or if a particular
player didn't play well. We could see the impact that
(06:07):
that would have. And that was just on a local
radio station. We're talking about like the Pat McAfee show.
Whenever there is something mentioned up there, it is a
national headline. That does give me some pause, some concern,
(06:31):
because even if it's not intentional, there are certain things
that he may say casually up there due to his
comfort with Pat McAfee that when you're talking casually to
a friend might come off very differently if you don't
have that type of relationship with this person, and it
(06:52):
might be viewed as disrespectful. That could ultimately lead to
a lot of that tension inside the locker room. That
could also so lead to tension and strain from the
coach's perspective in terms of how they have their relationship
with him. I mean, I look at how Robert Salah
tried to handle Aaron Rodgers in their dynamic, and it
(07:13):
just didn't look like something that he felt comfortable with
or something that he truly enjoyed. When you're constantly talking
though about these things, you never you get a chance
to allow just time to go right, Oh, if he's
quiet out here, man, It just been a blow by.
It never gets to blow byb because you're constantly in
(07:35):
the headline, and because it's him and he's on camera,
you don't even have that layer of protection that we
like to say is when it's print media, or if
it's something that you post but it's just letters and words,
or even if it's just a quick snippet, it's like, man,
we're seeing you for a a looted amount of time
on camera, giving pretty much press conferences weekly about very
(07:59):
impactful information and stuff that us as consumers want to
know about, and we thoroughly enjoy it. But from a actual,
you know, inside the locker room maintaining relationships perspective, that
is something that tows the line. And I know from
my eyes there's been times where yeah, I do feel
(08:19):
like he said a little bit more then I would
like if I was one of his teammates. But when
you're Aaron Rodgers, you might not always feel the need
to be cognizant of how people feel because you've been
able to just say, man, I've been the man everywhere
I've went.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
I've been bigger than.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
The coaching staff everywhere that I've went. But now this
is going to be a little bit different for him
being here. How does he adjust to that and is
that something that he is open to or is that
something that he's going to kind of meet with resentment
and we're going to get the passive aggressive version that
we've seen him, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Be at times.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
That is definitely the thing that I think stands or
I guess the thing that makes me the most uneasy
about it, because, like I said, if we're talking on Phil,
you heard how I've spoken on him, Man, there isn't
a lot that I'm concerned about in terms of his
own feel ability outside of can you just stay healthy?
We say you have a terrible achilles injury at a
(09:24):
absolute disaster of a time, and that's the thing that
I am the most fearful of. But outside of that,
it's the mcffee show, and I don't want you to
stop doing it, but I just want you to make
sure that we're really intentional about what you don't say
up there, so that way we could make sure that
in house stays in house while you're still able to
(09:46):
maximize your brand, and you know McAfee is able to
thrive the way that he's been thriving. But those are
the things that really make me the most uneasy.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Very fair, and you know, I think to get back
to we talked about in the very first segment of
the show, the trust that you hope now exists after
being able to, you know, navigate those couple months with
a lot of noise and a lot of speculation, and
the deal ends up getting done just like both parties
(10:15):
thought it was going to for a while with without
any hiccups or anything like that. You're gonna you're gonna
need some trust obviously that he's not gonna go on
there because listen again, dude, like he's been in the
NFL since two thousand and five, the majority of that
time for another very proud organization.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
He was in the NFL, I wasn't even a high
school graduate yet. I was a craze. Listen, I've graduated,
my daughter's graduating now. Man, he's too playing now. Man,
it's crazy. I got a wife in three kids.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
I was still like, I was like two or three
years away from even getting my own.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Apartment when Aaron Rodgers came to the league.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Like, dude, this is nuts, man, I didn't even know
I was going to like years away.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Sam like kind the wheel of a car right like what.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Oh Man, I like to.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
Think that with and again, Packers well respected organization, a
lot of similarity crossover to the Steelers, a lot of
similarity crossover, I think in the fan bases and what
they how they expect you to uphold the tradition of
the organization, the current players to uphold the tradition of
the organization.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
But it's a it's a little bit different here.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
And I know we're wearing black and gold glasses on
the Steelers Audio network as we say this, But when
you have a ownership family that's been part of the
thing for right on a century, I mean, it's it's
a little bit different than the public ownership of the Packers.
When you have a head coach that is as synonymous
(11:49):
as any head coach in all of sports, not just
the NFL, not just football, every major sport, in every
major league across the country and across the world. Mike
Tomlin is as well known as synonymous with his sport
and his organization as well respected across the board as
you can find.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
I think that that's gonna be.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
It's like college big at NFL level. Like most NFL
head coaches don't have the juice that he has like
this is what you get at like college.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
This is what you get Mike Krzyzewski forty years at Duke.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
You know what Roy Williams like, that's that's this is
Bobby ballen Net Florida.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
State decades and decades.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Yeah, you get this at the NFL level, man, don't
You don't.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
And I think that's something that again we've all seen.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
From Afar, the the bromance that we would joke about
in the past between Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlan. We
just had these same conversations two years ago.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
When the Packers get rid of them, think about it.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
I think that there's some there's some real, uh, real feelings,
some real depth to that for Aaron Rodgers that it's
an organization.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Feelings are those we don't talk about feelings.
Speaker 5 (13:06):
Aaron Rodgers is always looked at the Steelers like with
a little a wreatha Franklin vibes, with a little rispect
and Okay, he's He's talked about it in interviews and
things like that in the past. It's out there, you
know where to go find it. All his football coaches
that shaped a lot of the football coaches that shaped
him as a human being. Were from Western Pennsylvania, in
(13:28):
the Pittsburgh area. He's always thought fondly of the Steelers,
of Mike Tomlin, of people like Mike McCarthy and the
Signetti family that have roots here. I think that that
will mean something to Aaron Rodgers again, especially when I
will continue to point out I think it'd be a
little different if he was thirty five and knew that
he still had a lot of football in front of him.
(13:50):
He knows now too, like this could be my last stop.
He don't want, like no one wants to go out
like that. He wants to go out as the without
question first ballot Hall of Fame er, one of the
best to ever do it. He wants that to be
what people are saying, not Oh man, it didn't end
so well for him in New York and Pittsburgh, and
so again, I think we would be naive if we didn't,
(14:13):
if we didn't discuss this as a real possibility. But
I man, I like to think that he's cognizant of
this and knows that he doesn't want to negatively affect
the Steelers' logo or the head coach or I think
you know, guys, guys that he respects in the organization,
the cam Heywards and the TJ. Watts of the world
that have done this at a very high level in
(14:34):
this league for a long time too.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Yeah, I agree with one hundred percent with that man.
And like you said, it's for a guy of his caliber.
We're not saying that his legacy is in question. But
when you talk about how you want the story to end,
you want the storybook ending.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
You don't want it.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
To end with two back to bad, bad seases with
the Jets. After all that you accomplished, why you played
with the Packers. That is not how you want your
story to end, especially when two other players have done this,
Tom Brady and Brett Favre, and we saw the success
that they had won, won in Super Bowl, the other
(15:14):
went to an NFC Championship game. We look at Rogers
and Rogers fancies himself as one of those type of players,
one of the all time best. Well, I think to
be truly in that conversation, especially when your peers are
doing similar things, you have to have similar success man
(15:35):
to be able to continue to rise up and have
your I guess when we're talking about that debate, you
want to have ammunition for that. And this is the
part where when you're trying to say, well, what separates
the Rogers from a Brady?
Speaker 1 (15:49):
This could be part of it.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
Now, he man, Well, look it didn't work here, but
I was able to get back up on my feet
and make it work at this location. Man, bring back
the still is to dominance, bring them back to the
respect that they used to be from a league perspective, right.
I mean, these are some of the things that I
think of with him, man, But we could just hope
that that motivations. We could just hope that that makes
(16:11):
him be the player that we want him to be.
But I think all of us still fill with Rogers.
That's like up in the air, never know, you never know.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
You just never know. Unfortunately or fortunately, you just never know.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
We're gonta give him the benefit of the doubt for
the time.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Big Yeah, Yeah, that's what they say. That's what they say. Ben.
So with that inny case, let's take a break real quick, man,
get back talking.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
More about Aaron Rogers, him officially being a part of
the Black and the goal, but trying to know the drill.
Don't touch that doubt. This is the Steelers Blitz on
Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
The Steelers Flits with Wesley and Arthur Mose on your
twenty four seven Home of the Black and Gold asking.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
R penultimate segment of today's show, The Steelers Blitz Arthur
Mots west Uler having an absolute blast, and of course
you tapped in with the Steelers Nation Radio on the
Steelers Audio Network. We've been reacted giving off thoughts, comments,
and concerns about the one and only a a Ron
(17:28):
Aaron Rodgers officially signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers one year
deal worth nineteen point five million dollars ten million fully
garyt teed and a plethora of incentives.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Wes, can we talk about these incenters real quick? Wes?
Is that okay with you?
Speaker 4 (17:47):
We can?
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I love the plethora word by you two. That's a
big word.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Hey.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Look, I try to just add a little sprinkle at
a little rouse of Dallas every once in a while.
I when Aaron Rodgers comes to town, you gotta break
out the big words, right. But incentive based contracts like
these are different. But let's talk about it. Man. So
for the incentives, six of them in total for his contract,
(18:14):
first incentive half a million dollars if the Steelers make
the playoffs, not win a playoff game, just make the playoffs.
Get half a million dollars five hundred thousand dollars. Next
incentive six hundred thousand dollars. He'll make this if the
Steelers advance to the divisional round. This could be with
(18:37):
a wild card win where he plays at least fifty
percent of the offensive snaps, or a first round by
so either way, he would be rewarded contractually if the
Steelers advance out of the first round of the playoffs,
something that a lot of us have been clamoring about,
(18:58):
something that I feel very weird about. When I get
to say they haven't won a playoff game since I
was part of the team twenty sixteen, it's kind of cool,
but then it's kind of like, yo, that's been a
long time. Where we're coming up on ten years. Bro,
Like we we got we gotta make that right, A sap, bro,
A sap all right. So that's the second incentive. The
next one incentive is worth seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
(19:25):
and he'll earn that incentive if the Steelers pick up
a division round win. As long as he plays at
least fifty percent of the offensive snaps in the game. Okay,
so can't just be here a part of the squad.
He has to be actually participating, being the guy head
(19:46):
of the ship. Fifty percent of the snaps minimal. Following that,
the next incentive that he has is worth one million dollars.
I don't know about you, Wes, but a million dollars
that can incentivize me to do some stuff in.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
My career that would get me.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
That might that might incentivized me a little bit.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
But uh, he'll get a million dollars if the Steelers
win the AFC Championship as long as he plays fifty
percent of the offensive snap Curry.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
This is in case you did that.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
At least fifty percent of the steps has to be
played by Aaron Rodgers. But if the Steers were to
win an AFC Championship game, right because you said seven
hundred and fifty thousand, if they make it to the
AFC Championship but to win it gets a million dollars.
The next incentive for one point five million dollars.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
That's a lot of millions. If Rogers leads the Steelers
to a Super Bowl win, he'll get one point five
million dollars.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
As long as he plays at least fifty percent of
the offensive snap sending the gate.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
All right, but wait, but wait, but wait, there's more.
You thought you thought the show was over. It's kind
of like one of the Marvel movies.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Man, the credits are going, but wait, there's one more scene,
an additional incentive.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
We're f up to one point five million dollars.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
If Aaron Rodgers wins the AP MVP Award for the season.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
He'll oversee one point five million dollars. I'll tell you what.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
He's capable of a lot of these things. He's actually
already done every single thing on this list, just with
the Packers instead of them being the Steelers. So we're
not asking him to do anything that he is not
capable of doing and capable of doing on multiple occasions
(22:11):
outside of winning the Super Bowl and winning the NFC Championship.
But he's been multiple times, he's been either of the
division around multiple times. He's done a lot of these
things multiple times. We talked about he's won the MVP
AP MVP Award four times. Shoot did it twice consecutively.
But these are the incentives. How are you feeling about them,
(22:34):
and what do you think in twenty twenty five from
your perspective on June tenth. We know things may change
as new information acquired, as new information becomes present, right,
and that could be Okay, we signed a wide receiver,
we trade for a tight end or anything like that
could happen.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
That may change how we feel about this.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
But as we stand here today on the tenth of June,
how do you feel about these incentives? Man? Do you
think that these are with then reason for him? And
do you think that he'll be able to get all
of these, some of these or any of these.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
I certainly think that he's got a chance to get
a couple of these and to make himself what would
be some some nice extra seven figures in there.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I do think some of these are tough.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
I mean, we know League MVP, even though he's won
it four times, there are some amazing quarterbacks across the
NFL right now.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
He just did it. Well, how long ago was it?
Was it two years ago?
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Two or three three years three years ago?
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Three years ago?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Certainly not certainly, not impossible. There's just a lot of
worthy candidate. I mean, we saw, right, we saw Joe
Burrow last year put up numbers that very few quarterbacks
have ever put up in their life and wasn't even
really talked about as a favorite for the award.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
It's just tough. There was his team was, His team
was nine and eight. We also know, as much as.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
Their individual awards, you got to be in the right
spot as well too.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Super Bowl win going to be very difficult.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
I mean, we all know that the Steelers, as mostly
just pointed out, are looking for their first playoff win
since twenty sixteen. It's gonna be very tough to go
from that to cutting down the nets to use a
basketball analogy, to having the confetti rain upon you. But
some of these other things, like a playoff berth right,
the Steelers have done that for the last five seasons.
(24:25):
Aaron Rodgers should feel great about his chick. This is
a team that went ten and seven last year using
multiple quarterbacks. This is the team that the year before
went ten and seven using three quarterbacks. So playoffs in
four out of five years. Absolutely, you get that. You
get a win in the first round of the playoffs. Two,
you know, if you go to a wild card round
(24:45):
and win, or as you mentioned, you get that first round,
by which I think we all think again is going
to be tough too. AFC is tough, division's tough. The
schedule isn't easy. But you get a playoff berth and
a win, that's over a million dollars in incentives right
there alone. You win a second playoff game, okay, so
you get it. You get it a wild card game
(25:06):
against Houston, right and yeah, you end up winning it,
and then maybe you knock off someone like a Buffalo,
or like a Baltimore or like a Kansas City. I mean,
all of a sudden, you're gonna have near near two
million dollars in extra endorsements with just a couple of
playoff wins there. So I certainly think that a lot
of these incentives are are reasonable. But even like the
(25:26):
ones that feel like it would be a perfect pie
in the sky type season, super Bowl Champion League MVP, Hey,
it's like you said, they aren't things that here, they're
not things that he hasn't done before, So good to
have on those on there as well too. I mean,
if he if he has one of those types of seasons,
he could very easily make himself an extra five six
(25:49):
million dollars and even when you've made all the money
in the world, nobody is going to uh is gonna
scoff at an extra five six million dollars.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
I would agree with you on that as well. And
I'm glad that you said what you said. Man in
terms of these aren't anything that he's not capable of doing.
And we could also point and say the last time
he was in a organization that reflected the Steelers, he
did win League MVP.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
We all know how we feel, we all know how
we feel about the Jets organization.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, I mean, what was his last year and uh,
let's see in Green Bay real quick.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Yeah, let's say because he wasn't it was twenty twenty
two was his last season there?
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Twenty twenty two was his last season in Green Bay?
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Yes, yeah, that was. That was eight and nine year.
Speaker 4 (26:36):
And then prior to that was when they did the
back to back league MVPs. Oh geez, forty eight tight
he was the year that was at twenty twenty and
then thirty seven and twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He been on a tier.
He's been on a tear.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Yeah, I mean, he he's been on a tier.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
He's one He's won two MVP Awards since COVID, So yeah,
just crazy to say. Not in the last year too,
but still since COVID, which is more relatively recent in
society history.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
That's actually kind of crazy when you say it like that, Like, yeah,
I guess he did do that. Yeah, yeah, I guess
that would be vinded.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Twenty twenty in twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
One, Yeah, that would definitely be valid, right there. Man.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
First teamer, yeah, first team All Pro both those years.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Yeah to me, Man, I do agree, though. I think
that the making the playoffs he should feel very good
about that. I think that even at vancing out of
the first round, he has to feel good because he
knows what he's capable of. And I'm sure he's looking
at this defense, he's looking at this organization. He's saying,
if you guys have been able to get you yourselves
(27:44):
this far without me, and I've seen some of the guys.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
You've had to work with.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
From a professionals perspective, we look at what coach Tomlin
has done and we view it very differently than a
lot of fans and media, just because of our understanding
and our personal experiences of having to lived.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Aaron Rodgers is looking at that and he said.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
If y'all thought that y'all were doing it with that,
just wait till you get a load of me yes,
and a lot of us as athletes, man, and from
a professional and respectful standpoint, there are times where we
will look and we will say, yeah, if that is
what they are accustomed to, I know what I'm capable of.
And there's not even an arrogance or a cockiness with it.
(28:27):
It's just a certain confidence that comes from preparation, that
comes from.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Repetitively having success.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
And that's been Aaron Rodgers, not at the collegiate or
high school, we're talking about at the professional level since
two thousand and five. We said, right, that type of
belief is why the Jets shot up everybody's Super Bowl
predictions right when he first signed over there. Heck, even
when he came back from the Achilles, people were still
(28:56):
highly optimistic.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
That is why.
Speaker 4 (29:00):
And I'm sure for him, man, he looks at those
first two and he says, yeah, we definitely are going
to have that secured. I think the interesting part comes
with winning the in the divisional round, because now you're
talking about what's the draw is that Divisional round at
Kansas City, A Buffalo?
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Is that a Baltimore?
Speaker 4 (29:17):
Is this the year where the Bengals making And now
we're talking about, you know, a team is ready to
put fifty up like, That's the part where it gets
a lot more dice heer. And obviously when we're talking
about winning AFC championship games and then winning super Bowl,
it gets really crazy because that's something that unfortunately for Rogers,
the negative pops back up when we talk about winning
(29:39):
the super Bowl because we know he hasn't done that
since was that twenty eleven season, right, yes? Yeah, ten,
going into ten eleven, early eleven.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
So with that though, those are the parts where as
I'm back and forth on Rogers, I'm like, yeah, that
that is capable, but because of the fact that we
haven't seen that.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
In fifteen years or fourteen years.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
That's where it does start to get a little bit
more of a everything really has to go right for
this one league MVP. I don't hate the optimism behind it,
and there are going to be some people that are
very optimistic, especially if you could get another marquee weapon
from a wide receivers perspective in here, because I think
(30:30):
When we first talked about this with DKGP, people were thinking, man,
this is going to go crazy because of those receivers
and having a guy like Rogers of his caliber, you're
really going to maximize it. Now without having that second
proven commodity opposite of DK Metcalf, Rogers can still cook,
(30:50):
but it looks like it might be from a more
condensed version, which we know when you're dealing with the
Josh Allens, the Joe Burrows, the Lamar Jackson's, the Patrick
Mahomes the world, you gotta get gaudy because those dudes
can do everything that we're talking about in terms of
your typical game management stuff, but they also have unicorn
characteristics that they flaunt daily. It's a routine thing for
(31:16):
any of those quarterbacks I just named to go out
there and show you why they get paid hundreds of
millions of dollars and they do it so casually, but
they all know what they're chasing as well, and that's
ultimately winning Super Bowl. To me, for Rogers to win
an MVP, I'm like, oh, you're going through murderers row Baby, Yeah, yeah,
(31:38):
Hill of Arnden if he does it.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
If he does yeah, not saying that it is not possible.
Speaker 4 (31:43):
But I feel like super Bowl win, an MVP in
twenty twenty five are the ones where if I had
to financially support my belief, this is where I start
to bow out.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Yes, up up until that point, I feel good. I
feel good.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
I'm even willing to give benefit of the doubt that
if we were to make it to ANFC championship game, Man,
let's go. If you could make it that far, I'm
willing to support you in that. That means we won
multiple playoff games, you know what I mean. But that
Super Bowl, that's a whole other animal right there, That's
a whole different animal. And obviously we were talking about
League MVP. We both have talked about what that is.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
There are some real unicorns at that position right now.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Yes, indeed, yes, indeed. But shout out to the incentives,
and shout out to the Steelers. I guess evolving with
the times I thought that wasn't possible. It's good to see,
love to see. But let's take one final break and
when we get back, I suppose we got to talk
about your expectations for from the team's perspective. Oh, don't
(32:52):
touch that down. You know what time, and it's Arthur
MOUs Weston Yuler and this is the Steelers Blitz.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Is the Steelers' Blitz with Wesley Huler and Arthur Motes
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
And Gold SNR.
Speaker 4 (33:18):
Final segment of today's show, Steelers Blitz. Of course, you're
tapping into the Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
And we've spent a good amount of today's show talking
about Aaron Rodgers officially being on the Pittsburgh Stels roster
one year deal, nineteen point five million dollars ten million,
(33:39):
fully guaranteed. We've talked about the incentives that are so
beautifully placed within his contract. We've talked about our initial
thoughts to Aaron Rodgers joining the team. We've talked about
what we like, love even willing to fanboy over and
(34:00):
the glass half empty perspective for.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
The more melancholic group. Yes, we even got to you, guys, Darley, Yes, yes, yes,
but now it feels about time that we do it,
at least the first goal of it.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
He talked a little bit of Aaron Rodgers and what
we expect him to be able to accomplish from an
incentive standpoint, But what about from a team standpoint twenty
twenty five? What are your new expectations and uh for
Aaron Rodgers individually, what are your twenty twenty five expectations
(34:38):
for him?
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Okay, so as we you know, as we mark this
June tenth.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
The Julian tenth prediction, this June tenth version, Yep, we're
going to do it multiple times.
Speaker 5 (34:47):
As you and I have said many times, we still
don't think this roster is complete. We still don't think
the Steelers are done in that regard. And as much
as it always sucks to say, I mean we we
had two or three significan at injuries last year in
training get three or four significant Seizon injuries last year
in training camp alone. So injuries can always change expectations
(35:09):
in this conversation as well too. But as we sit
here today, I expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to once again
win double digit football games.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
I expect the number on it.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
What is double digit?
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Mean?
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Put a number on.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Ten or eleven? No, put a number run ten and
a half.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Put a number on it.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Man, let's go to an these ones go to eleven
and and and the biggest thing for me too, is like,
I expect this offense to be noticeably better, and I
think Aaron Rodgers is going Aaron Rodgers better be the
ship that drives that he better be the captain to
(35:49):
drive that ship. But I think the offensive line is
going to be improved. I think the run game is
going to be improved. I think Dk Metcalf is going
to be the best number one receiver they've had sansan Antonio.
I expect this offense to be noticeably better, both statistically
and just eyeball test better. And for Aaron Rodgers, I
(36:10):
think that means approaching four thousand passing yards. I think
that means approaching thirty, you know, twenty five to thirty touchdowns.
I think that means single digit interceptions. And yeah, what
I like, noticeably the best quarterback play we've seen since
(36:30):
pre elbow injury.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
Ben, how about that?
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Thank you? Now? That is how you talk, That is
how you make a prediction.
Speaker 4 (36:43):
I so for me, man, uh yeah, I gotta said
eleven wins with a twelfth possible, just depending on if
we acquire anybody else in this process. I also feel
like he will be a four thousand yard passer, but
that is largely predicated on our offensive line. If we
can't protect him, I don't see that happen. I think
he'll flirt with thirty seven to thirty eight hundred. But
(37:05):
if he has the protection that we desire, yeah, he'll
be a four thousand yard passer. I think he'll be
in that thirty five touchdown range. I give him ten picks,
and yeah, I feel really great about our situation.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
It'll be a lot of fun. It's gonna be a
lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
Heck yeah, heck yeah. But uh, I guess that will
conclude today's show. Did you have fun today?
Speaker 3 (37:28):
You?
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Did you enjoy it?
Speaker 3 (37:29):
It's Berezdawn.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
Mister, mister, I'm going down to check out Minnie Camp.
I'll be yeah, one day your golf and Nick day
you on the mic. Then you're gonna be down there
with the guys. I mean, I just see I want
to do.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Like to grow up.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Okay, Can I just tell you I feel like the
center of the sports world this week. I got to golf.
I got to golf with Arthur Modes.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
I'll stop this.
Speaker 5 (37:47):
I'll get to see Aaron Rodgers, a DK Metcalf practice
twice and then and then I'll be at the be
at the be at the Open on Friday.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
For for the Center, for the Center of the golf
world too. What a sports man Western Penns.
Speaker 4 (38:00):
Come on, man, live your best life, Live your best life.
But that will conclude today's show. Hopefully you enjoyed it.
And uh, let's start first with giving a big time
shout out to my producer because he had me extra crispy,
had the vocals and everything right. That's mister Wesley Valin.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
You lur.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
Oh, let's go play some golf.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
Oh hey, now, hey, now, swing them swing them well, baby,
swing them.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
Well, Power Grid mega watts. As always, we appreciate you
and police tweet us. Let off all of your thoughts, comments,
concerns my lead ad because we're gonna get to him,
for sure, we will get to them. But last, specially
not least man, got to give a shout out to
my co host, my partner in crime, vote one and.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Only, Wesley Valin.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
You go ears.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
And as always, you know where to find this on
your twenty four to seven Home of the Black and
the Gold.
Speaker 3 (39:02):
It's Steeler's Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (39:06):
Mm hmmm.
Cueler and Motes are on the air.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
This is the Steelers Blitz on your twenty four to
seven home of the Black and Gold.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Lascan are Steelers Nation Radio Stealer's Nurse shad Our number two?
(00:30):
How are we doing?
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Feeling like an MVP? Oh?
Speaker 4 (00:35):
Hopefully four times of that? Then make it a fifth
one coming soon. Arthur Mos Wesley Hulier having a blast
Man second hour of today's show, first time ever doing
the show with Aaron Rodgers as.
Speaker 1 (00:49):
A Pittsburgh Stealer officially, gotta love it, Gotta love it.
Speaker 4 (00:54):
But in that first we spent a lot of time
Man talking about what we liked about Aaron Rogers signing,
the optimism that we had surrounding it, and.
Speaker 1 (01:03):
Just the feel good part. Right.
Speaker 4 (01:05):
But we know, like in everything's two sides to a coin,
which you like, but also what you don't like.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
So with Aaron Rodgers, we know he's very polarizing.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
What would you characterize from your perspective some of the
things that you view as cons to Aaron Rodgers officially
being a part of the Black and Gold.
Speaker 5 (01:25):
Now, yeah, I gotta be honest with you, There's there,
there's there's definitely there's definitely fair things to discuss here,
But I don't as I thought about this because you
teased it earlier on in the show, Like eventually we're
going to talk about some of the you know, some
of the downsides or maybe some of the things that
you're not crazy about with with you know, bringing in
(01:47):
Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback. And I think I already
made my jokes about Super Bowl forty five, all right,
so we can put that, We could put that aside
here in an hour number two. There's not as many
as I as I as I think, and I think
a lot of the ones that people would immediately run
to I think could be blown out of proportion in
some ways.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
But there's obviously the fact that he's.
Speaker 5 (02:10):
Forty one, going to be forty two years old here,
and that, you know, the only quarterback we've ever seen
really win and I'm talking like multiple playoff games in
a Super Bowl over the age of forty is Tom Brady.
And we all know that he is probably the most
unicorn of all the unicorns that have played this great
game of football.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
So like, I think you have to start with his age.
Speaker 5 (02:32):
You know that the potential for just him to not
quite be the same, the potential for his athleticism to take,
you know, a bit of a hit, the potential that
you know, he's just already taken hundreds and hundreds of
hits in his career. And he's not in his twenties
or thirties anymore, you know, is he is? He a
little more injury prone at his age and not quite
(02:53):
as mobile as he used to be.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
All those different things.
Speaker 5 (02:57):
But like in terms of the on fields, that's about
it all that I got. I mean, I still think
he's playing at a high level. He is not Aaron
Rodgers from twenty twenty, which, even at age thirty seven
thirty eight I was maybe one of the best single
quarterback season I've ever seen in my life.
Speaker 3 (03:18):
I don't want.
Speaker 5 (03:20):
I can't sit here in good faith and say he's
still one of those unicorns like Mahomes or Josh Allen
or Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow. Like he's not a
bonafide easy top five quarterback anymore.
Speaker 3 (03:31):
But I think he's in that next group still.
Speaker 5 (03:34):
And I think last year a lot of dysfunction in
that organization, which to be fair, he's not completely absolved from, certainly,
but a lot of dysfunction in that organization that was
that way before he got there, and I think will
continue to be that way now that he's gone recovering
from a major, major injury at.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Forty years old.
Speaker 5 (03:53):
Man, what he was able to do down the stretch,
I think when he was back healthy, when they kind
of finally figured out what they were doing and as
a team, and when he got a wide receiver in
Devonte Adams that he's comfortable with, was was still not
top five, but top ten, top twelve quarterback play in
the National Football League, for sure. There's there's not a
(04:15):
ton of negatives for me in terms of the on
field stuff. Some of those those ones that I just
laid out, Yeah, he's gonna be forty two years old,
and and with that just naturally comes some things.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
But other than that, it's it's it's.
Speaker 5 (04:28):
You know, and and and obviously I would I would
be foolish, Arthur Motes if I didn't acknowledge the possibility
that there's a fracture in the relationship that this thing,
you know, blows up, if you want to say to
use that term.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Right.
Speaker 5 (04:40):
But but I think with the point that he's at
in his career in wanting to end that strongly with
the stability that the Pittsburgh Steelers organization has and and
their positions of leadership from top to bottom. I again,
it's not impossible, but I see that as being a
very very slim reality. Those are really the only two
things for me to list though, just the age and
(05:02):
what naturally comes with that, and and the potential volatility,
which I think is very low in a place like
this at a time like this in his career.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
But those would be the two things I would mention.
Speaker 4 (05:16):
I like to agree with you on all of those things, unfortunately,
but I would also like to add as well, obviously,
think from a inside the locker room perspective. The media,
the talk show a talk show, but it's one thing
to have a local radio show.
Speaker 5 (05:37):
We wouldn't be genuine if we did. If we didn't
mention some of these things. It's it's a it's a
real thing.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
It's one thing to have the local radio show.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
I think back to when Big Ben was doing his
local radio appearances right and how locally, how loud that
could get if he said certain things, especially after a
perform homs where they didn't win, or if a particular
player didn't play well. We could see the impact that
(06:07):
that would have. And that was just on a local
radio station. We're talking about like the Pat McAfee show.
Whenever there is something mentioned up there, it is a
national headline. That does give me some pause, some concern,
(06:31):
because even if it's not intentional, there are certain things
that he may say casually up there due to his
comfort with Pat McAfee that when you're talking casually to
a friend might come off very differently if you don't
have that type of relationship with this person, and it
(06:52):
might be viewed as disrespectful. That could ultimately lead to
a lot of that tension inside the locker room. That
could also so lead to tension and strain from the
coach's perspective in terms of how they have their relationship
with him. I mean, I look at how Robert Salah
tried to handle Aaron Rodgers in their dynamic, and it
(07:13):
just didn't look like something that he felt comfortable with
or something that he truly enjoyed. When you're constantly talking
though about these things, you never you get a chance
to allow just time to go right, Oh, if he's
quiet out here, man, It just been a blow by.
It never gets to blow byb because you're constantly in
(07:35):
the headline, and because it's him and he's on camera,
you don't even have that layer of protection that we
like to say is when it's print media, or if
it's something that you post but it's just letters and words,
or even if it's just a quick snippet, it's like, man,
we're seeing you for a a looted amount of time
on camera, giving pretty much press conferences weekly about very
(07:59):
impactful information and stuff that us as consumers want to
know about, and we thoroughly enjoy it. But from a actual,
you know, inside the locker room maintaining relationships perspective, that
is something that tows the line. And I know from
my eyes there's been times where yeah, I do feel
(08:19):
like he said a little bit more then I would
like if I was one of his teammates. But when
you're Aaron Rodgers, you might not always feel the need
to be cognizant of how people feel because you've been
able to just say, man, I've been the man everywhere
I've went.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
I've been bigger than.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
The coaching staff everywhere that I've went. But now this
is going to be a little bit different for him
being here. How does he adjust to that and is
that something that he is open to or is that
something that he's going to kind of meet with resentment
and we're going to get the passive aggressive version that
we've seen him, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:00):
Be at times.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
That is definitely the thing that I think stands or
I guess the thing that makes me the most uneasy
about it, because, like I said, if we're talking on Phil,
you heard how I've spoken on him, Man, there isn't
a lot that I'm concerned about in terms of his
own feel ability outside of can you just stay healthy?
We say you have a terrible achilles injury at a
(09:24):
absolute disaster of a time, and that's the thing that
I am the most fearful of. But outside of that,
it's the mcffee show, and I don't want you to
stop doing it, but I just want you to make
sure that we're really intentional about what you don't say
up there, so that way we could make sure that
in house stays in house while you're still able to
(09:46):
maximize your brand, and you know McAfee is able to
thrive the way that he's been thriving. But those are
the things that really make me the most uneasy.
Speaker 5 (09:54):
Very fair, and you know, I think to get back
to we talked about in the very first segment of
the show, the trust that you hope now exists after
being able to, you know, navigate those couple months with
a lot of noise and a lot of speculation, and
the deal ends up getting done just like both parties
(10:15):
thought it was going to for a while with without
any hiccups or anything like that. You're gonna you're gonna
need some trust obviously that he's not gonna go on
there because listen again, dude, like he's been in the
NFL since two thousand and five, the majority of that
time for another very proud organization.
Speaker 1 (10:34):
He was in the NFL, I wasn't even a high
school graduate yet. I was a craze. Listen, I've graduated,
my daughter's graduating now. Man, he's too playing now. Man,
it's crazy. I got a wife in three kids.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
I was still like, I was like two or three
years away from even getting my own.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
Apartment when Aaron Rodgers came to the league.
Speaker 4 (10:55):
Like, dude, this is nuts, man, I didn't even know
I was going to like years away.
Speaker 3 (10:59):
Sam like kind the wheel of a car right like what.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Oh Man, I like to.
Speaker 5 (11:07):
Think that with and again, Packers well respected organization, a
lot of similarity crossover to the Steelers, a lot of
similarity crossover, I think in the fan bases and what
they how they expect you to uphold the tradition of
the organization, the current players to uphold the tradition of
the organization.
Speaker 3 (11:26):
But it's a it's a little bit different here.
Speaker 5 (11:28):
And I know we're wearing black and gold glasses on
the Steelers Audio network as we say this, But when
you have a ownership family that's been part of the
thing for right on a century, I mean, it's it's
a little bit different than the public ownership of the Packers.
When you have a head coach that is as synonymous
(11:49):
as any head coach in all of sports, not just
the NFL, not just football, every major sport, in every
major league across the country and across the world. Mike
Tomlin is as well known as synonymous with his sport
and his organization as well respected across the board as
you can find.
Speaker 3 (12:11):
I think that that's gonna be.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
It's like college big at NFL level. Like most NFL
head coaches don't have the juice that he has like
this is what you get at like college.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
This is what you get Mike Krzyzewski forty years at Duke.
Speaker 4 (12:27):
You know what Roy Williams like, that's that's this is
Bobby ballen Net Florida.
Speaker 3 (12:31):
State decades and decades.
Speaker 1 (12:35):
Yeah, you get this at the NFL level, man, don't
You don't.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
And I think that's something that again we've all seen.
Speaker 5 (12:42):
From Afar, the the bromance that we would joke about
in the past between Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlan. We
just had these same conversations two years ago.
Speaker 1 (12:50):
When the Packers get rid of them, think about it.
Speaker 5 (12:54):
I think that there's some there's some real, uh, real feelings,
some real depth to that for Aaron Rodgers that it's
an organization.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
Feelings are those we don't talk about feelings.
Speaker 5 (13:06):
Aaron Rodgers is always looked at the Steelers like with
a little a wreatha Franklin vibes, with a little rispect
and Okay, he's He's talked about it in interviews and
things like that in the past. It's out there, you
know where to go find it. All his football coaches
that shaped a lot of the football coaches that shaped
him as a human being. Were from Western Pennsylvania, in
(13:28):
the Pittsburgh area. He's always thought fondly of the Steelers,
of Mike Tomlin, of people like Mike McCarthy and the
Signetti family that have roots here. I think that that
will mean something to Aaron Rodgers again, especially when I
will continue to point out I think it'd be a
little different if he was thirty five and knew that
he still had a lot of football in front of him.
(13:50):
He knows now too, like this could be my last stop.
He don't want, like no one wants to go out
like that. He wants to go out as the without
question first ballot Hall of Fame er, one of the
best to ever do it. He wants that to be
what people are saying, not Oh man, it didn't end
so well for him in New York and Pittsburgh, and
so again, I think we would be naive if we didn't,
(14:13):
if we didn't discuss this as a real possibility. But
I man, I like to think that he's cognizant of
this and knows that he doesn't want to negatively affect
the Steelers' logo or the head coach or I think
you know, guys, guys that he respects in the organization,
the cam Heywards and the TJ. Watts of the world
that have done this at a very high level in
(14:34):
this league for a long time too.
Speaker 4 (14:36):
Yeah, I agree with one hundred percent with that man.
And like you said, it's for a guy of his caliber.
We're not saying that his legacy is in question. But
when you talk about how you want the story to end,
you want the storybook ending.
Speaker 1 (14:52):
You don't want it.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
To end with two back to bad, bad seases with
the Jets. After all that you accomplished, why you played
with the Packers. That is not how you want your
story to end, especially when two other players have done this,
Tom Brady and Brett Favre, and we saw the success
that they had won, won in Super Bowl, the other
(15:14):
went to an NFC Championship game. We look at Rogers
and Rogers fancies himself as one of those type of players,
one of the all time best. Well, I think to
be truly in that conversation, especially when your peers are
doing similar things, you have to have similar success man
(15:35):
to be able to continue to rise up and have
your I guess when we're talking about that debate, you
want to have ammunition for that. And this is the
part where when you're trying to say, well, what separates
the Rogers from a Brady?
Speaker 1 (15:49):
This could be part of it.
Speaker 4 (15:51):
Now, he man, Well, look it didn't work here, but
I was able to get back up on my feet
and make it work at this location. Man, bring back
the still is to dominance, bring them back to the
respect that they used to be from a league perspective, right.
I mean, these are some of the things that I
think of with him, man, But we could just hope
that that motivations. We could just hope that that makes
(16:11):
him be the player that we want him to be.
But I think all of us still fill with Rogers.
That's like up in the air, never know, you never know.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
You just never know. Unfortunately or fortunately, you just never know.
Speaker 3 (16:26):
We're gonta give him the benefit of the doubt for
the time.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Big Yeah, Yeah, that's what they say. That's what they say. Ben.
So with that inny case, let's take a break real quick, man,
get back talking.
Speaker 4 (16:34):
More about Aaron Rogers, him officially being a part of
the Black and the goal, but trying to know the drill.
Don't touch that doubt. This is the Steelers Blitz on
Steelers Nation Radio.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
The Steelers Flits with Wesley and Arthur Mose on your
twenty four seven Home of the Black and Gold asking.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
R penultimate segment of today's show, The Steelers Blitz Arthur
Mots west Uler having an absolute blast, and of course
you tapped in with the Steelers Nation Radio on the
Steelers Audio Network. We've been reacted giving off thoughts, comments,
and concerns about the one and only a a Ron
(17:28):
Aaron Rodgers officially signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers one year
deal worth nineteen point five million dollars ten million fully
garyt teed and a plethora of incentives.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Wes, can we talk about these incenters real quick? Wes?
Is that okay with you?
Speaker 4 (17:47):
We can?
Speaker 3 (17:48):
I love the plethora word by you two. That's a
big word.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
Hey.
Speaker 4 (17:52):
Look, I try to just add a little sprinkle at
a little rouse of Dallas every once in a while.
I when Aaron Rodgers comes to town, you gotta break
out the big words, right. But incentive based contracts like
these are different. But let's talk about it. Man. So
for the incentives, six of them in total for his contract,
(18:14):
first incentive half a million dollars if the Steelers make
the playoffs, not win a playoff game, just make the playoffs.
Get half a million dollars five hundred thousand dollars. Next
incentive six hundred thousand dollars. He'll make this if the
Steelers advance to the divisional round. This could be with
(18:37):
a wild card win where he plays at least fifty
percent of the offensive snaps, or a first round by
so either way, he would be rewarded contractually if the
Steelers advance out of the first round of the playoffs,
something that a lot of us have been clamoring about,
(18:58):
something that I feel very weird about. When I get
to say they haven't won a playoff game since I
was part of the team twenty sixteen, it's kind of cool,
but then it's kind of like, yo, that's been a
long time. Where we're coming up on ten years. Bro,
Like we we got we gotta make that right, A sap, bro,
A sap all right. So that's the second incentive. The
next one incentive is worth seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars,
(19:25):
and he'll earn that incentive if the Steelers pick up
a division round win. As long as he plays at
least fifty percent of the offensive snaps in the game. Okay,
so can't just be here a part of the squad.
He has to be actually participating, being the guy head
(19:46):
of the ship. Fifty percent of the snaps minimal. Following that,
the next incentive that he has is worth one million dollars.
I don't know about you, Wes, but a million dollars
that can incentivize me to do some stuff in.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
My career that would get me.
Speaker 1 (20:05):
That might that might incentivized me a little bit.
Speaker 4 (20:08):
But uh, he'll get a million dollars if the Steelers
win the AFC Championship as long as he plays fifty
percent of the offensive snap Curry.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
This is in case you did that.
Speaker 4 (20:23):
At least fifty percent of the steps has to be
played by Aaron Rodgers. But if the Steers were to
win an AFC Championship game, right because you said seven
hundred and fifty thousand, if they make it to the
AFC Championship but to win it gets a million dollars.
The next incentive for one point five million dollars.
Speaker 1 (20:46):
That's a lot of millions. If Rogers leads the Steelers
to a Super Bowl win, he'll get one point five
million dollars.
Speaker 4 (21:00):
As long as he plays at least fifty percent of
the offensive snap sending the gate.
Speaker 1 (21:10):
All right, but wait, but wait, but wait, there's more.
You thought you thought the show was over. It's kind
of like one of the Marvel movies.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Man, the credits are going, but wait, there's one more scene,
an additional incentive.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
We're f up to one point five million dollars.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
If Aaron Rodgers wins the AP MVP Award for the season.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
He'll oversee one point five million dollars. I'll tell you what.
Speaker 4 (21:51):
He's capable of a lot of these things. He's actually
already done every single thing on this list, just with
the Packers instead of them being the Steelers. So we're
not asking him to do anything that he is not
capable of doing and capable of doing on multiple occasions
(22:11):
outside of winning the Super Bowl and winning the NFC Championship.
But he's been multiple times, he's been either of the
division around multiple times. He's done a lot of these
things multiple times. We talked about he's won the MVP
AP MVP Award four times. Shoot did it twice consecutively.
But these are the incentives. How are you feeling about them,
(22:34):
and what do you think in twenty twenty five from
your perspective on June tenth. We know things may change
as new information acquired, as new information becomes present, right,
and that could be Okay, we signed a wide receiver,
we trade for a tight end or anything like that
could happen.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
That may change how we feel about this.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
But as we stand here today on the tenth of June,
how do you feel about these incentives? Man? Do you
think that these are with then reason for him? And
do you think that he'll be able to get all
of these, some of these or any of these.
Speaker 5 (23:09):
I certainly think that he's got a chance to get
a couple of these and to make himself what would
be some some nice extra seven figures in there.
Speaker 3 (23:19):
I do think some of these are tough.
Speaker 5 (23:20):
I mean, we know League MVP, even though he's won
it four times, there are some amazing quarterbacks across the
NFL right now.
Speaker 1 (23:28):
He just did it. Well, how long ago was it?
Was it two years ago?
Speaker 3 (23:31):
Two or three three years three years ago?
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Three years ago?
Speaker 3 (23:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (23:35):
Certainly not certainly, not impossible. There's just a lot of
worthy candidate. I mean, we saw, right, we saw Joe
Burrow last year put up numbers that very few quarterbacks
have ever put up in their life and wasn't even
really talked about as a favorite for the award.
Speaker 3 (23:49):
It's just tough. There was his team was, His team
was nine and eight. We also know, as much as.
Speaker 5 (23:55):
Their individual awards, you got to be in the right
spot as well too.
Speaker 3 (24:01):
Super Bowl win going to be very difficult.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
I mean, we all know that the Steelers, as mostly
just pointed out, are looking for their first playoff win
since twenty sixteen. It's gonna be very tough to go
from that to cutting down the nets to use a
basketball analogy, to having the confetti rain upon you. But
some of these other things, like a playoff berth right,
the Steelers have done that for the last five seasons.
(24:25):
Aaron Rodgers should feel great about his chick. This is
a team that went ten and seven last year using
multiple quarterbacks. This is the team that the year before
went ten and seven using three quarterbacks. So playoffs in
four out of five years. Absolutely, you get that. You
get a win in the first round of the playoffs. Two,
you know, if you go to a wild card round
(24:45):
and win, or as you mentioned, you get that first round,
by which I think we all think again is going
to be tough too. AFC is tough, division's tough. The
schedule isn't easy. But you get a playoff berth and
a win, that's over a million dollars in incentives right
there alone. You win a second playoff game, okay, so
you get it. You get it a wild card game
(25:06):
against Houston, right and yeah, you end up winning it,
and then maybe you knock off someone like a Buffalo,
or like a Baltimore or like a Kansas City. I mean,
all of a sudden, you're gonna have near near two
million dollars in extra endorsements with just a couple of
playoff wins there. So I certainly think that a lot
of these incentives are are reasonable. But even like the
(25:26):
ones that feel like it would be a perfect pie
in the sky type season, super Bowl Champion League MVP, Hey,
it's like you said, they aren't things that here, they're
not things that he hasn't done before, So good to
have on those on there as well too. I mean,
if he if he has one of those types of seasons,
he could very easily make himself an extra five six
(25:49):
million dollars and even when you've made all the money
in the world, nobody is going to uh is gonna
scoff at an extra five six million dollars.
Speaker 4 (25:58):
I would agree with you on that as well. And
I'm glad that you said what you said. Man in
terms of these aren't anything that he's not capable of doing.
And we could also point and say the last time
he was in a organization that reflected the Steelers, he
did win League MVP.
Speaker 3 (26:15):
We all know how we feel, we all know how
we feel about the Jets organization.
Speaker 1 (26:18):
Yeah, I mean, what was his last year and uh,
let's see in Green Bay real quick.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Yeah, let's say because he wasn't it was twenty twenty
two was his last season there?
Speaker 3 (26:31):
Twenty twenty two was his last season in Green Bay?
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Yes, yeah, that was. That was eight and nine year.
Speaker 4 (26:36):
And then prior to that was when they did the
back to back league MVPs. Oh geez, forty eight tight
he was the year that was at twenty twenty and
then thirty seven and twenty twenty one.
Speaker 1 (26:47):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. He been on a tier.
He's been on a tear.
Speaker 3 (26:50):
Yeah, I mean, he he's been on a tier.
Speaker 5 (26:53):
He's one He's won two MVP Awards since COVID, So yeah,
just crazy to say. Not in the last year too,
but still since COVID, which is more relatively recent in
society history.
Speaker 4 (27:05):
That's actually kind of crazy when you say it like that, Like, yeah,
I guess he did do that. Yeah, yeah, I guess
that would be vinded.
Speaker 3 (27:14):
Twenty twenty in twenty twenty.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
One, Yeah, that would definitely be valid, right there. Man.
Speaker 3 (27:20):
First teamer, yeah, first team All Pro both those years.
Speaker 4 (27:23):
Yeah to me, Man, I do agree, though. I think
that the making the playoffs he should feel very good
about that. I think that even at vancing out of
the first round, he has to feel good because he
knows what he's capable of. And I'm sure he's looking
at this defense, he's looking at this organization. He's saying,
if you guys have been able to get you yourselves
(27:44):
this far without me, and I've seen some of the guys.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
You've had to work with.
Speaker 4 (27:48):
From a professionals perspective, we look at what coach Tomlin
has done and we view it very differently than a
lot of fans and media, just because of our understanding
and our personal experiences of having to lived.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
Aaron Rodgers is looking at that and he said.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
If y'all thought that y'all were doing it with that,
just wait till you get a load of me yes,
and a lot of us as athletes, man, and from
a professional and respectful standpoint, there are times where we
will look and we will say, yeah, if that is
what they are accustomed to, I know what I'm capable of.
And there's not even an arrogance or a cockiness with it.
(28:27):
It's just a certain confidence that comes from preparation, that
comes from.
Speaker 1 (28:31):
Repetitively having success.
Speaker 4 (28:34):
And that's been Aaron Rodgers, not at the collegiate or
high school, we're talking about at the professional level since
two thousand and five. We said, right, that type of
belief is why the Jets shot up everybody's Super Bowl
predictions right when he first signed over there. Heck, even
when he came back from the Achilles, people were still
(28:56):
highly optimistic.
Speaker 1 (28:58):
That is why.
Speaker 4 (29:00):
And I'm sure for him, man, he looks at those
first two and he says, yeah, we definitely are going
to have that secured. I think the interesting part comes
with winning the in the divisional round, because now you're
talking about what's the draw is that Divisional round at
Kansas City, A Buffalo?
Speaker 1 (29:15):
Is that a Baltimore?
Speaker 4 (29:17):
Is this the year where the Bengals making And now
we're talking about, you know, a team is ready to
put fifty up like, That's the part where it gets
a lot more dice heer. And obviously when we're talking
about winning AFC championship games and then winning super Bowl,
it gets really crazy because that's something that unfortunately for Rogers,
the negative pops back up when we talk about winning
(29:39):
the super Bowl because we know he hasn't done that
since was that twenty eleven season, right, yes? Yeah, ten,
going into ten eleven, early eleven.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (29:51):
So with that though, those are the parts where as
I'm back and forth on Rogers, I'm like, yeah, that
that is capable, but because of the fact that we
haven't seen that.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
In fifteen years or fourteen years.
Speaker 4 (30:10):
That's where it does start to get a little bit
more of a everything really has to go right for
this one league MVP. I don't hate the optimism behind it,
and there are going to be some people that are
very optimistic, especially if you could get another marquee weapon
from a wide receivers perspective in here, because I think
(30:30):
When we first talked about this with DKGP, people were thinking, man,
this is going to go crazy because of those receivers
and having a guy like Rogers of his caliber, you're
really going to maximize it. Now without having that second
proven commodity opposite of DK Metcalf, Rogers can still cook,
(30:50):
but it looks like it might be from a more
condensed version, which we know when you're dealing with the
Josh Allens, the Joe Burrows, the Lamar Jackson's, the Patrick
Mahomes the world, you gotta get gaudy because those dudes
can do everything that we're talking about in terms of
your typical game management stuff, but they also have unicorn
characteristics that they flaunt daily. It's a routine thing for
(31:16):
any of those quarterbacks I just named to go out
there and show you why they get paid hundreds of
millions of dollars and they do it so casually, but
they all know what they're chasing as well, and that's
ultimately winning Super Bowl. To me, for Rogers to win
an MVP, I'm like, oh, you're going through murderers row Baby, Yeah, yeah,
(31:38):
Hill of Arnden if he does it.
Speaker 1 (31:39):
If he does yeah, not saying that it is not possible.
Speaker 4 (31:43):
But I feel like super Bowl win, an MVP in
twenty twenty five are the ones where if I had
to financially support my belief, this is where I start
to bow out.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Yes, up up until that point, I feel good. I
feel good.
Speaker 4 (32:01):
I'm even willing to give benefit of the doubt that
if we were to make it to ANFC championship game, Man,
let's go. If you could make it that far, I'm
willing to support you in that. That means we won
multiple playoff games, you know what I mean. But that
Super Bowl, that's a whole other animal right there, That's
a whole different animal. And obviously we were talking about
League MVP. We both have talked about what that is.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
There are some real unicorns at that position right now.
Speaker 4 (32:28):
Yes, indeed, yes, indeed. But shout out to the incentives,
and shout out to the Steelers. I guess evolving with
the times I thought that wasn't possible. It's good to see,
love to see. But let's take one final break and
when we get back, I suppose we got to talk
about your expectations for from the team's perspective. Oh, don't
(32:52):
touch that down. You know what time, and it's Arthur
MOUs Weston Yuler and this is the Steelers Blitz.
Speaker 2 (33:08):
Is the Steelers' Blitz with Wesley Huler and Arthur Motes
on your twenty four to seven home of the Black.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
And Gold SNR.
Speaker 4 (33:18):
Final segment of today's show, Steelers Blitz. Of course, you're
tapping into the Steelers Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
And we've spent a good amount of today's show talking
about Aaron Rodgers officially being on the Pittsburgh Stels roster
one year deal, nineteen point five million dollars ten million,
(33:39):
fully guaranteed. We've talked about the incentives that are so
beautifully placed within his contract. We've talked about our initial
thoughts to Aaron Rodgers joining the team. We've talked about
what we like, love even willing to fanboy over and
(34:00):
the glass half empty perspective for.
Speaker 1 (34:02):
The more melancholic group. Yes, we even got to you, guys, Darley, Yes, yes, yes,
but now it feels about time that we do it,
at least the first goal of it.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
He talked a little bit of Aaron Rodgers and what
we expect him to be able to accomplish from an
incentive standpoint, But what about from a team standpoint twenty
twenty five? What are your new expectations and uh for
Aaron Rodgers individually, what are your twenty twenty five expectations
(34:38):
for him?
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Okay, so as we you know, as we mark this
June tenth.
Speaker 4 (34:43):
The Julian tenth prediction, this June tenth version, Yep, we're
going to do it multiple times.
Speaker 5 (34:47):
As you and I have said many times, we still
don't think this roster is complete. We still don't think
the Steelers are done in that regard. And as much
as it always sucks to say, I mean we we
had two or three significan at injuries last year in
training get three or four significant Seizon injuries last year
in training camp alone. So injuries can always change expectations
(35:09):
in this conversation as well too. But as we sit
here today, I expect the Pittsburgh Steelers to once again
win double digit football games.
Speaker 3 (35:18):
I expect the number on it.
Speaker 1 (35:19):
What is double digit?
Speaker 4 (35:20):
Mean?
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Put a number on.
Speaker 3 (35:23):
Ten or eleven? No, put a number run ten and
a half.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
Put a number on it.
Speaker 5 (35:29):
Man, let's go to an these ones go to eleven
and and and the biggest thing for me too, is like,
I expect this offense to be noticeably better, and I
think Aaron Rodgers is going Aaron Rodgers better be the
ship that drives that he better be the captain to
(35:49):
drive that ship. But I think the offensive line is
going to be improved. I think the run game is
going to be improved. I think Dk Metcalf is going
to be the best number one receiver they've had sansan Antonio.
I expect this offense to be noticeably better, both statistically
and just eyeball test better. And for Aaron Rodgers, I
(36:10):
think that means approaching four thousand passing yards. I think
that means approaching thirty, you know, twenty five to thirty touchdowns.
I think that means single digit interceptions. And yeah, what
I like, noticeably the best quarterback play we've seen since
(36:30):
pre elbow injury.
Speaker 3 (36:32):
Ben, how about that?
Speaker 1 (36:35):
Thank you? Now? That is how you talk, That is
how you make a prediction.
Speaker 4 (36:43):
I so for me, man, uh yeah, I gotta said
eleven wins with a twelfth possible, just depending on if
we acquire anybody else in this process. I also feel
like he will be a four thousand yard passer, but
that is largely predicated on our offensive line. If we
can't protect him, I don't see that happen. I think
he'll flirt with thirty seven to thirty eight hundred. But
(37:05):
if he has the protection that we desire, yeah, he'll
be a four thousand yard passer. I think he'll be
in that thirty five touchdown range. I give him ten picks,
and yeah, I feel really great about our situation.
Speaker 3 (37:21):
It'll be a lot of fun. It's gonna be a
lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (37:23):
Heck yeah, heck yeah. But uh, I guess that will
conclude today's show. Did you have fun today?
Speaker 3 (37:28):
You?
Speaker 1 (37:28):
Did you enjoy it?
Speaker 3 (37:29):
It's Berezdawn.
Speaker 4 (37:31):
Mister, mister, I'm going down to check out Minnie Camp.
I'll be yeah, one day your golf and Nick day
you on the mic. Then you're gonna be down there
with the guys. I mean, I just see I want
to do.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
Like to grow up.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Okay, Can I just tell you I feel like the
center of the sports world this week. I got to golf.
I got to golf with Arthur Modes.
Speaker 1 (37:46):
I'll stop this.
Speaker 5 (37:47):
I'll get to see Aaron Rodgers, a DK Metcalf practice
twice and then and then I'll be at the be
at the be at the Open on Friday.
Speaker 3 (37:55):
For for the Center, for the Center of the golf
world too. What a sports man Western Penns.
Speaker 4 (38:00):
Come on, man, live your best life, Live your best life.
But that will conclude today's show. Hopefully you enjoyed it.
And uh, let's start first with giving a big time
shout out to my producer because he had me extra crispy,
had the vocals and everything right. That's mister Wesley Valin.
Speaker 1 (38:18):
You lur.
Speaker 3 (38:20):
Oh, let's go play some golf.
Speaker 1 (38:23):
Oh hey, now, hey, now, swing them swing them well, baby,
swing them.
Speaker 4 (38:26):
Well, Power Grid mega watts. As always, we appreciate you
and police tweet us. Let off all of your thoughts, comments,
concerns my lead ad because we're gonna get to him,
for sure, we will get to them. But last, specially
not least man, got to give a shout out to
my co host, my partner in crime, vote one and.
Speaker 1 (38:45):
Only, Wesley Valin.
Speaker 3 (38:48):
You go ears.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
And as always, you know where to find this on
your twenty four to seven Home of the Black and
the Gold.
Speaker 3 (39:02):
It's Steeler's Nation Radio on the Steelers Audio Network.
Speaker 1 (39:06):
Mm hmmm.
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