GREEN BAY, Wis. — Matt LaFleur’s slight smile grew a tad larger the longer he talked about Aaron Rodgers. It was more of a grin at first, as he recalled working closely on the Packers’ offense during an offseason amid the COVID-19 pandemic. LaFleur shared how, as a young head coach, he wouldn’t necessarily tell the star quarterback, “This is how we’re going to do things,” because Rodgers had already seen and done so much.
But LaFleur busted out a wide smile by the time he was asked about how the 41-year-old Rodgers looks with the Steelers this season.
“He looks like he can still do anything,” LaFleur said Wednesday from Lambeau Field’s press conference room. “What surprises me is that for such an old man, he’s still moving around pretty good, too.”
Aaron Rodgers has looked good in the early going for the Steelers, including a four-touchdown game in Week 7 against the Bengals. (Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
A couple of hours later, outside the Packers’ locker room after practice, Jordan Love also beamed.
Love had just noted that on Sunday night, when his Packers (4-1-1) face the Steelers (4-2) in Pittsburgh, it would be him vs. Pittsburgh’s defense and Rodgers vs. Green Bay’s defense — not him vs. Rodgers, the QB he spent his early NFL years playing behind.
A reporter informed Love that Rodgers would use a similar line ahead of big quarterback matchups.
“Did he?” Love replied, smiling.
As Green Bay gears up to play Rodgers for the first time, LaFleur and Love showed genuine appreciation for him. They spoke of the great relationship they shared with the former Packers legend. Hired in 2019, LaFleur coached Rodgers for the final four seasons of the QB’s 18-year career in Green Bay. Love backed up Rodgers for his first three seasons (2020-22) before becoming the starter after the veteran was traded to the New York Jets in April 2023.
And they’re not the only ones who have fond memories of Rodgers.
Cornerback Keisean Nixon’s first season with the Packers coincided with Rodger’s last with the team (2022). The former undrafted free agent “hated” Green Bay when he first arrived. He was miserable. He struggled to get to know his teammates.
Rodgers helped him break in.
“Aaron used to always be like, ‘Why are you always so mad and angry?’” Nixon recalled from his locker. “Made me give him a hug. It was like a thing. Our relationship grew over time. We still talk and communicate and stuff like that, but I appreciate him always.”
LaFleur noted that Rodgers, at 41, is playing high-level football for the Steelers. The four-time MVP has completed 68.6% of his passes for 1,270 yards and 14 touchdowns (tied for fourth) with five interceptions through six games. His 8.6% touchdown rate leads the NFL and his 109.0 passer rating ranks ninth.
Rodgers threw for a season-high 249 passing yards and matched a season-high four touchdowns in Pittsburgh’s loss to Cincinnati last week.
“The arm strength is still there. You especially saw on the Hail Mary,” LaFleur said. “This guy is just extremely accurate. If you give him just a sliver of light, he can fit the ball in there.”
LaFleur then talked about Rodgers’ intelligence as a quarterback.
“One of the things that I thought he did as well as anyone in the game is just how important the use of cadence is,” he said. “Like, there’s no one like him, in my opinion, in the history of the game, just his ability to get free plays.
“There was a lot of give and take in regards to what we were going to do offensively and just working through that process,” he continued. “And the only way you can do that is you have to spend a lot of time with one another and there was a lot of back and forth. I think we got to a really good spot [in our relationship].”
LaFleur added that Rodgers was very supportive of Love, who said the 10-time Pro Bowler welcomed him with “open arms” as his eventual successor.
“Being a first-round pick, having A-Rod there, there’s a lot of question marks,” Love said.
He said he learned plenty from Rodgers’ approach, footwork and cadence in their time together.
“We shoot each other texts every now and then,” he revealed. “A lot of it is just saying good luck throughout the season. A-Rod texted me about some of the plays we were running and some of my footwork and things like that, complimenting me. Obviously, it’s great to be able to hear from him. I have so much respect for him. Anytime he gives me pointers, things like that, that’s the stuff you want to get feedback from a legend like that. We have a great relationship, obviously.
“I’m excited to be able to see him Sunday, go against him.”
That feeling appears to be mutual.
Rodgers called Love a “great kid” and “one of the real good guys in the league.” He also told Steelers media that he doesn’t view Sunday’s matchup as a revenge game.
The game won’t carry the emotional weight that it would’ve if it were at Lambeau Field, but Rodgers acknowledged that his feelings for the Packers organization have evolved over time.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder maybe. I have a lot of great memories from my time [there]. Great interactions with fans over the years,” Rodgers said Wednesday. “I’m thankful for my time there. Obviously, would’ve loved to ride off into the sunset after a Super Bowl win, but that’s not the way the league goes sometimes.
“I knew the writing was on the wall when Jordan was picked. … I happened to win MVP the first two years he was with us, but I knew at some point there would be a change, and if I wanted to play, it probably would have to be elsewhere. So, I understand the situation. We live and we learn.
“I’m excited to see a lot of those people.”
They’re looking forward to seeing him, too.
Ben Arthur is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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