Aaron Rodgers explains why Steelers are good fit, praises Pittsburgh: 'A lot of Yinzers in my life'

Aaron Rodgers is ready to be fully committed to the Pittsburgh Steelers after signing with the team last week. During a press conference on Tuesday, Rodgers explained to reporters why he signed with the Steelers now instead of earlier in the offseason when he visited with the team.

“I was dealing with a lot of things in my personal life,” Aaron Rodgers said. “Some things improved a little bit, where I felt like I could fully be all in here with the guys. I had great conversations with Mike [Tomlin] throughout the entire process, and Omar [Khan]. It’s good to get that done and get behind us.”

Rodgers then explained why the Steelers are the right fit for him. “I think it starts with Mike Tomlin. I’ve been a fan of his for a long time,” Rodgers explained after the team’s minicamp practice. “There’s a few iconic franchises in the NFL. I played for one of them for 18 years. This is another one of those. There’s something special about this area.

“So many great quarterbacks are from Pittsburgh. I feel like Pittsburgh has been a part of my career from the beginning, playing for Mike McCarthy for 13 years, having Tom Clements, or Tommy Clements, depending how old you are, as my quarterback coach forever, Dom Capers, Kevin Greene, Darren Perry, Derrick McAdoo, Frank Cignetti, Luke Getsy. I don’t want to forget anybody, but there have been a lot of Yinzers in my life.”

Aaron Rodgers says the Steelers have a ‘great fan base’

Later in the press conference, Rodgers talked about what he loves about the city of Pittsburgh. “I love the Greenfield Avenue area. Mike told me to say that,” Rodgers said while smiling. “This is a blue-collar town. The history of this great area is building the structure of the country. A lot of great people here, great fan base. We’ve played here over the years. They even got their own song that they play late in the third or the fourth quarter.

“But it’s a special, special place to play sports. Just great blue-collar people and I’m excited to meet some of the fans along the way.”

Rodgers is entering his 21st NFL season. He spent the first 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers and the previous two with the New York Jets. In his career, Rodgers has been named a Pro Bowler 10 times, won the NFL MVP award four times and led the Packers to a Super Bowl during the 2010 season.