Steelers Should Trust Aaron Rodgers

PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers now have Aaron Rodgers. The 41-year-old quarterback signed just after OTAs and showed up at practice for the first day of mandatory minicamp. His tenure as the Steelers QB begins now, and after explaining his decision and what he wants to accomplish in Pittsburgh, it may be time for everyone to start believing him.

The Steelers asked Rodgers to make sure he was in attendance for minicamp after dealing with a personal situation throughout the offseason. Rodgers has never lied to Pittsburgh or their fans that he was staying away from football because he had things happening in his life that needed his attention.

“I was dealing with a lot of things in my personal life and some things improved a little bit where I felt like I could fully be all in here with the guys,” Rodgers said during his first press conference with the team.

It was always the Steelers, though. Rodgers spoke with other teams but always viewed Pittsburgh as his landing spot if he did return to football - which he felt he would.

“I appreciate the conversations with other organizations, for sure. But, again, I’ve said it. When it came between me and Mike. I made it to where, as I was going through with my personal stuff, there was no other option. It was here and not play," he said.

Now, he's here. The Steelers have their quarterback. Head coach Mike Tomlin said he doesn't anticipate a quarterback competition, making it clear that Rodgers is going to be the guy from the jump.

Rodgers wants to win in Pittsburgh. He believes he's done a lot with his career, which he has, but wants to do more with the Steelers. And this decision was to come here and win, and to enjoy football. It was a decision made "from the soul."

"A lot of decisions that I’ve made over my career and in life from strictly the ego, even if they turn out well, are always unfulfilling. But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling. This is a decision that was best for my soul," Rodgers said. "...I just want to have fun here. I want to enjoy the game. The game has given me a ton. It’s hard to think of anything in my life that’s positive, that wasn’t impacted by, directly or indirectly, my playing this game. I just want to give back to the game, enjoy it, pass on my knowledge to my teammates, and try to find ways to help lead the team."

It's time for the Steelers to believe him. Rodgers hasn't done anything but speak the truth throughout the process, and remained in communication with the team that when the time was right, he was coming.

He showed up when they asked him to and he didn't take a massive contract so that the team can build around him. He's excited to help rookie Will Howard grow and be a leader in the locker room.

He's a four-time NFL MVP and a Super Bowl champion. One day, he'll be enshrined into Canton, Ohio as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play. Right now, he wants to help the Steelers win. That's all they could ask of him.

He's here to be a positive influence for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That seems like the truth.

Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!

• Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Makes Major Life Announcement
• First Look at Aaron Rodgers Practicing With Steelers
• Aaron Rodgers Sends Message to Steelers
• Steelers Superstar Skips Mandatory Minicamp
• Steelers Load Aaron Rodgers Deal with Incentives