Aaron Rodgers’ “bromance” with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin began long before the former league MVP officially signed on the dotted line to become the team’s next QB.
When discussing the bond forged between the pair this offseason, Tomlin, 53, said Wednesday on “The Pat McAfee Show” that he “enjoyed getting to know” Rodgers during those initial conversations as they look to contend for a championship.
“It was kind of a bromance,” a grinning Tomlin said from Steelers training camp. “For me, man, I was just excited to get to know the guy on a personal level, and so, that’s how I viewed it. Man, we had some cool and interesting conversations about football, about life, about where he is in his career and what he’s potentially looking for.”
"I was just excited to get to know Aaron Rodgers and we had some cool conversations..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 30, 2025
He's here and he wants to win" ~ @CoachTomlin #PMSLive https://t.co/kT0GWH2UEl pic.twitter.com/SSYdahEjFi
Rodgers, 41, was coming off two unspectacular seasons with the Jets — the first of which he was sidelined after rupturing his Achilles just four plays into the 2023 campaign — when Pittsburgh set its sights on the four-time league MVP.
Although the Steelers hosted Rodgers for a visit to the team’s facility in March, the quarterback remained unsigned at the time.
A month later, Rodgers revealed he had been tending to matters in his private life, making it clear personal affairs were the priority.
The lengthy saga eventually concluded in June when Rodgers agreed to a one-year, $13.65 million deal with the Steelers in what is anticipated to be his final season.
“Mike T. is the man,” Rodgers gushed Wednesday. “From day one that we talked on the phone in the offseason, I was never talking to a head coach, I was talking to a friend. I respected the hell out of that.
“I have crazy respect for him, the way that he leads the room, the way that he talks in the team meetings, the way he is at practice. The surprise has been what a great dude he is, what a great leader he is, on top of what I already expected, which was already high based on what I thought from afar. But being able to see it in person is incredible.”
Rodgers has been embracing change this year, both personally and professionally.
Upon reporting to Steelers minicamp in June, Rodgers confirmed he’s been married “a couple of months” after a band on his left ring finger stirred buzz.
“When you meet the right one and you’re with the right one, your whole world changes in a second,” Rodgers recently said of his wife, whose identity remains a mystery.
Rodgers revealed in December 2024 that he was dating a woman named Brittani.
He was previously engaged to actress Shailene Woodley.
The Steelers open the 2025 season against Rodgers’ former Jets team at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 7.