{"id":159018,"date":"2025-06-26T03:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-06-26T03:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/159018\/"},"modified":"2025-06-26T03:41:12","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T03:41:12","slug":"fittipaldo-thinks-steelers-will-give-aaron-rodgers-more-freedom-in-offense-than-russell-wilson-had","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/159018\/","title":{"rendered":"Fittipaldo Thinks Steelers Will Give Aaron Rodgers More ‘Freedom’ In Offense Than Russell Wilson Had"},"content":{"rendered":"

Russell Wilson\u2019s lone year with the Pittsburgh Steelers was full of ups and downs. While he started off hot, Wilson cooled off down the stretch. That helped contribute to the Steelers going on an ugly losing streak. Reports indicated that there was friction between<\/a> Wilson and Arthur Smith. There\u2019s some speculation that the same thing could happen with Smith and Aaron Rodgers. However, beat writer Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette believes the Steelers will give Rodgers more freedom than Wilson had.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat he does at the line of scrimmage to get his team into the best place possible is one of the reasons why he\u2019s one of the best, say top-five, top-10 quarterbacks of all time,\u201d Fittipaldo said recently on the Armstrong Neighborhood Channel.<\/a> \u201cIf you\u2019re the Steelers, and you\u2019re Mike Tomlin and you\u2019re Arthur Smith, why would you negate that?<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would you fight against that? I think they would want to take advantage of that and give Aaron some freedom. Let him be a leader in that huddle and let him call his own plays, if it comes to that.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the reported issues between Wilson and Smith was that the quarterback wanted to have more freedom to change plays. However, that was allegedly not something Smith was on board with. As an accomplished veteran, it\u2019s fair to wonder if Rodgers will also want that freedom.<\/p>\n

However, it doesn\u2019t seem like there\u2019s any kind of power struggle between Rodgers and Smith. Multiple reports have indicated that the two of them are getting along great.<\/a> While Rodgers doesn\u2019t seem like a perfect fit for Smith\u2019s offense, the offensive coordinator could make some adjustments to better fit the former MVP.<\/p>\n

During that same appearance, Fittipaldo went more in-depth on what Wilson was allowed to do in the Steelers\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, with Russell Wilson, he would go to the line of scrimmage with maybe two plays. If one look didn\u2019t present, he\u2019d call the other play. He wasn\u2019t able just to call, \u2018We\u2019re gonna call a pass play. We\u2019re gonna do something totally different.\u2019 He did not have that freedom. I think, with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they\u2019ll probably build some stuff in, so he does have some of that freedom.\u201d<\/p>\n

It probably would be wise for Rodgers to make changes sometimes. While he isn\u2019t the same player physically, he\u2019s still got a deep well of knowledge. After 20 years in the NFL, there isn\u2019t much that Rodgers hasn\u2019t seen. He can take advantage of certain defenses.<\/p>\n

However, Rodgers has stated that he\u2019s going to learn Smith\u2019s offense. It doesn\u2019t sound like he came in and demanded that everything<\/a> change to accommodate him. He seems willing to do what Smith asks of him.<\/p>\n

Aaron Rodgers will be in contact with Arthur Smith a bunch this summer: \u201cI\u2019m going to learn the offense, and Arthur Smith and I are going to talk a bunch this summer. If there\u2019s things that I like that I\u2019d like to see in the offense, Arthur, I\u2019m sure, is going to put it in. He\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Steelers Depot 7\u20e3 (@Steelersdepot) June 17, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

While there were rumblings earlier this<\/a> offseason that Rodgers wanted to call his own plays, that doesn\u2019t seem to be the case. That could always change, but it feels more likely that the Steelers\u2019 offense this year will be a nice blend of what Smith and Rodgers like.<\/p>\n

Smith was a good play-caller last year, so there shouldn\u2019t be any issue allowing him to continue in that role. Perhaps that will help take some of the stress off Rodgers\u2019 shoulders, too. Smith\u2019s run-heavy scheme should help limit the wear and tear on Rodgers\u2019 body this season. Maybe he won\u2019t ask to change plays, either. He might be comfortable simply running Smith\u2019s offense.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n