Four MVPs, 10 Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring be damned – some Steelers fans are furious over the arrival of Aaron Rodgers.
Pittsburgh’s signing of Rodgers has received a mixed bag of reviews in the Steel City, with many fans voicing their frustrations over the move.
Concerns have ranged from the quarterback’s age (41), to the short-term nature of his one-year, $13.6 million contract, to his anti-vaccination beliefs.
“No, not optimistic at all,” lifelong Steelers fan Ron Stadler, Jr. told USA TODAY’s Jarrett Bell. “I wish he’d have retired already. He sucks.”
The most viral example of the frustration came from one fan on social media, who filmed himself burning his autographed Minkah Fitzpatrick jersey while declaring he would “never be a Steelers fan again.”
“Yinz decide to pick up Aaron Rodgers, I can’t do this anymore,” said the fan, @greencheckdegen on TikTok. “You keep killing us.”
The fan went on to reference the Steelers trading star wideout George Pickens and losing Justin Fields in free agency as further reasons for his departure from the fanbase.
Veteran defensive lineman Cam Heyward took to X to respond to the fan.
“First off, why Minkah’s jersey? That’s bonkers. Second, why burn when there are plenty of people that need clothes,” Heyward wrote. “Third, you are going to regret it!!”
Other reactions to the news were less extreme, but the sentiment remains: a large faction of Pittsburgh’s fanbase is less than pleased with the signing.
“This feels cheap and desperate,” wrote one fan on X. “This is not a Pittsburgh Steeler.”
Another posted: “I hope he fails the physical. I am not a fan of this decision.”
AP
Many of the replies under the Steelers’ announcement of Rodgers’ signing carried a similar tone, mixed in with a smattering of more positive responses.
Last season, Rodgers pᴀssed for 28 touchdowns and 3,897 yards with the Jets, who cut him after the season.
Rodgers will have his first chance to prove the doubters wrong when the Steelers take on those same Jets — and Fields — in Week 1 at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 7.
