He wanted to earn his leadership role as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ starting quarterback, especially in training camp. It seems Aaron Rodgers has done just that.

In his first season with the Black and Gold, Rodgers was named the offensive team captain, marking the second straight season the team has had a free agent signee hold down the captaincy on offense.

Rodgers, along with defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and safety Miles Killebrew, were named the Steelers’ team captains for the 2025 season.

Captains are voted on by their teammates. The Steelers announced the captains just moments ago via their official Twitter account.

It marks the 15th time in Rodgers’ career that he’s been elected a captain by his teammates. In two seasons with the New York Jets, Rodgers was a captain both years. He was a captain in 12 of his 18 years in Green Bay.

The future first-ballot Hall of Famer joined the Steelers on June 5. He signed a one-year deal after being released by the Jets in early March, ending a tough two-year run that saw him miss all but four plays of the 2023 season with a torn Achilles and then go 5-12 last season.

Though he remains in a contract dispute with the franchise and isn’t happy with his level of pay coming off another All-Pro season, Heyward was named a Steelers captain for the 11th straight year. Last season, he racked up 71 tackles, 8.0 sacks and batted down 11 passes while earning first-team All-Pro honors.

While he didn’t participate in team sessions during training camp while looking for a contract restructure and a raise, Heyward did return in full last week and is gearing up for the start of the 2025 season.

Watt is a captain for the fifth time in his career, and this is fourth straight year that he’s held the honor for the Steelers. Watt was also elected to that role in 2020 and 2022, 2023 and 2024. He had a bit of a down season last year from his lofty standards, recording 11.5 sacks, but he was still a second-team All-Pro and earned a three-year extension this offseason to keep him with the Steelers for the foreseeable future.

Killebrew’s election marks the fourth straight year he’s been voted a Steelers special teams captain. Since joining the Steelers in 2021, he’s been a special teams standout and is coming off of a second trip to the Pro Bowl last season. 

Last year, the Steelers’ captains were quarterback Russell Wilson, Heyward, Watt and Killebrew as they went 10-7 in the regular season and lost in the AFC Wild Card to the Baltimore Ravens.

The Steelers open the season on the road Sunday against the New York Jets at 1 PM/ET at MetLife Stadium.