Khan also added to the defensive end, spending a first-round pick on Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor, giving the Steelers another option in a position group that already included rising tackle Troy Fautana and 2023 first-rounder Broderick Jones.
“It’s awesome. I was excited and happy to see him again,” Fautanu said of Rodgers’ return. “Obviously, to get our leader back from last year and kind of have a year with him and kind of learn from him, we kind of picked up where we left off. It felt like he never really took it to be back in the group. Will (Howard), Mason (Rudolph) and Drew have done a good job the last few weeks, just to make sure we’re on the same page, but it’s like I said.”
The inclusion of Rodgers indicates the Steelers believe they have a roster capable of competing provided they get competent production from the quarterback. That’s largely what Rodgers gave them in 2025, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards and a 24-7 TD-INT rate, and while he was limited in the full extent of what he could accomplish at age 41 — there was a reason he had the shortest time to throw next to Stat9 with at least 2,200 drops — he was still able to execute consistently enough to help Steelers winning 10 games.
With Rodgers on board and a lot of faith in their defense, the Steelers will carry a lot of optimism into 2026 — an attitude that was evident when Rodgers returned Monday.
“It’s definitely great to have him back,” linebacker Payton Wilson said. “It’s a lot tougher for us in 7-on-7 stuff. He’s a great teammate and obviously the guys on the offensive side of the ball are really excited to have him back. It’s just good to have another veteran leader back in the locker room.”
“It’s awesome to have him back,” Edge Rusher Alex Highsmith added, via Saunders. “He’s a mysterious guy. … It’s just who he is, I guess. He’s mysterious, but he’s a real teammate. … He’s a great dude.”