Heyward - 'Would be really cool' to have Rodgers as Steelers' QB - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — A week after seemingly less-than-enthusiastic comments about the prospect of quarterback Aaron Rodgers coming to Pittsburgh, Steelers defensive captain Cameron Heyward clarified his stance on the four-time MVP.

«It was misconstrued,» Heyward said on NFL Network's «Good Morning Football» on Wednesday morning. «I was asked a question, 'Would you go to the lengths of going to a darkness retreat to recruit Aaron Rodgers.' I said, 'I'm not doing that. The pitch is, if you want to be a Steeler, be a Steeler.' That's all it was. It wasn't that I don't like Aaron Rodgers or I'm against it.

»When I look at our team right now, it would be really cool to have a guy like Aaron Rodgers. But I can't be the guy who gets it over the finish line. He's got to make those decisions for himself. I'm excited to see what happens."

On his podcast, «Not Just Football,» Heyward had responded to a question from co-host Hayden Walsh about joining Rodgers on a darkness retreat to recruit him with distain for the idea.

«I ain't doing that darkness retreat,» Heyward said on March 18. «I don't need any of that crap. Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don't. It's that simple. That's the pitch. If you want me to recruit, that's the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don't, no skin off my back.»

The tone appeared to be a shift from Heyward's all-out efforts to land Russell Wilson before the 2024 season when the defensive lineman spent more than an hour on a FaceTime call with Wilson to recruit him to Pittsburgh. Though Heyward said Wednesday it would be «cool» to have Rodgers join the Steelers, he acknowledged that he hasn't had a conversation with the 41-year-old quarterback.