{"id":234393,"date":"2025-07-25T07:11:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T07:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/234393\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T07:11:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T07:11:13","slug":"from-route-cues-to-toilet-flushing-aaron-rodgers-and-dk-metcalf-are-getting-to-know-each-other-quickly-at-steelers-camp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/234393\/","title":{"rendered":"From route cues to toilet flushing, Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf are getting to know each other quickly at Steelers camp"},"content":{"rendered":"

LATROBE, Pa. \u2014 DK Metcalf<\/a> was setting up a PlayStation in his training camp dorm room on Tuesday when he heard the knock.<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> receiver headed to open his bedroom door, figuring he had his own quarters at the Steelers\u2019 Saint Vincent College outpost. Instead, the bathroom door opened \u2026 and in walked Aaron Rodgers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cHe popped out of the corner,\u201d Metcalf said.<\/p>\n

[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season<\/a>]<\/p>\n

The pair of Steelers\u2019 star offseason acquisitions are eager to build chemistry and establish rapport. And head coach Mike Tomlin has given them another route to strengthen their communication: by sharing a bathroom for the next month.<\/p>\n

Rodgers leaned into that communication early when he realized the flushing mechanism on their shared toilet was, well, not quiet.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe toilet is super loud,\u201d Metcalf told Yahoo Sports on Thursday. \u201cSo he was like, \u2018Yeah, at night, if we got to piss, just don\u2019t flush the toilet.\u2019 I was like, \u2018All right, bet.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The nightly urge indeed overcame Metcalf around 9:30 Wednesday night so the receiver texted his quarterback to ask: \u201cYou asleep yet?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodgers confirmed he was awake.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll right, bet,\u201d Metcalf texted back, \u201cI\u2019m about to flush the toilet.\u201d<\/p>\n

And flush he did.<\/p>\n

The Steelers hope that Rodgers and Metcalf\u2019s rapport will grow not just in their daily routines but also into a consistent problem for defenses. Pittsburgh looks to Rodgers and Metcalf as part of the recipe to winning a playoff game for the first time in nine years and a Super Bowl for the first in 17.<\/p>\n

Rodgers believes the bonding in the lunchroom and at snack time, in hot afternoon practices and meetings, are key to taking them all the way.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the 32 teams would probably say something to that accord at this time of the year, but I think there\u2019s really only six to eight that have a legitimate chance,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cSometimes it\u2019s 10 to 12, and there\u2019s teams that surprise you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say on paper, we\u2019re probably one of those 10 to 12.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

DK Metcalf (left) and Aaron Rodgers are going to great lengths to establish chemistry this season for the Steelers. (AP Photo\/Gene J. Puskar)<\/p>\n

(ASSOCIATED PRESS)Even on interception, Rodgers and Metcalf learning<\/p>\n

During the first throw of team drills in Wednesday\u2019s inaugural practice, the Steelers’ defense looked more ready to jump off paper than its offense.<\/p>\n

Metcalf lined up to Rodgers\u2019 left alongside running back Jaylen Warren<\/a>, raising the antennae of linebacker Patrick Queen<\/a>. But Rodgers wanted to test Metcalf one-on-one on the hitch against a Cover 3 defense. So the quarterback threw it \u2014 and Queen intercepted it.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Steelers defenders and fans erupted, a splash play landing earlier in camp practice than perhaps expected.<\/p>\n

Rodgers, entering Year 21, wasn\u2019t fazed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to get that out of the way,\u201d he said. \u201cAnybody that\u2019s watched me practice over the years, you like to try certain throws at certain times. And anybody that\u2019s watched me in games knows I\u2019ve been pretty stellar taking care of the football over the years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to try to fit certain things in. You got to deal with some sweat on the ball from time to time, so it\u2019s going to be a good challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to throw some picks. But I\u2019m going to throw some touchdowns, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

[Get more Steelers news: Pittsburgh team feed<\/a>]<\/p>\n

During his NFL career, Rodgers hasn\u2019t just thrown some touchdowns, but a full 503 regular-season touchdowns and 45 more in the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Rodgers joined the Steelers this offseason, a true free agent for the first time, boasting four MVPs to his name and a Super Bowl title. He\u2019s advanced to the postseason 12 times since the Packers drafted him in 2005, and he\u2019s won a playoff game in seven different years.<\/p>\n

That breadth and depth of knowledge showed in the Steelers\u2019 first walkthrough, when the veteran quarterback was already diagnosing Pittsburgh\u2019s defensive looks despite not officially reaching a deal with the club until June 5.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was like, \u2018Oh, they\u2019re going to rotate down this. We\u2019re going to rotate down there,\u2019\u201d safety DeShon Elliott<\/a> told Yahoo Sports. \u201cWe\u2019re just like, \u2018All right, bro. Whatever. Bet. You know our defense, f*** it.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s seen so much football.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Rodgers has seen has not sent him into autopilot nor bred complacency, coaches and teammates say. Elliott said Rodgers scans safeties longer presnap than any quarterback he\u2019s faced in seven years, while rookie quarterback Will Howard<\/a> says Rodgers questions just about every element of meetings to ensure he understands a play\u2019s intent.<\/p>\n

Why audible to this play rather than that? Why not change the quarterback\u2019s footwork on this run scheme, and open up like that on a jet motion?<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cJust constantly as we’re going through the install, \u2018Hey, on this one, why are we canning this one to this?\u2019\u201d Howard told Yahoo Sports. \u201cConstantly inquisitive and it’s not necessarily a shot at anyone, it’s not an ego thing at all with him. He’s just curious.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just genuinely wants to know.\u201d<\/p>\n

That excites offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who began tailoring elements of his offense to Rodgers in mid-March, conversing with the quarterback multiple times before Rodgers officially signed in June after organizing matters in his personal life.<\/p>\n

Smith sees a quarterback with plenty left in the tank at age 41, in mind and in body.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not a rigid thinker and neither am I so, that makes it easier when you\u2019re having those conversations [on] how you want to adapt,\u201d Smith told Yahoo Sports. \u201cWhen you watch him at the end of last year when he got healthy, he still throws the football [well].<\/p>\n

\u201cHe still moves around pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thanks to Rodgers, Steelers\u2019 offseason moves speak to 2025 horizon first<\/p>\n

Rodgers doesn\u2019t arrive to the Steelers coming off the best year of his two-decade career, but he doesn\u2019t arrive far from it.<\/p>\n

It was just in 2020 when Rodgers scorched the NFL to the tune of 48 touchdowns to just five interceptions, completing a whopping 70.7% of pass attempts. He won MVP honors with a league-best 121.5 passer rating that season and again the next year with a league-best 111.9. Even so, the Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets<\/a> before the 2023 season \u2014 and the star\u2019s high-profile move from Green Bay to New York fell short of its lofty dreams.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into his Jets debut in 2023. Then, even at 40 years old, he rebounded to play all 17 games in 2024 despite league wisdom that players typically won\u2019t return to their peak until 18 to 24 months post-tear.<\/p>\n

Rodgers completed 63% of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season as the 5-12 Jets spiraled, firing their head coach and general manager midseason. The franchise did not want Rodgers back under new head coach Aaron Glenn and new general manager Darren Mougey. Rodgers sought a more stable and win-now operation for what he has said is likely the final season of his career.<\/p>\n

The Steelers met the bill.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

If the Steelers fall short this season, they will not fall short for lack of roster-building effort. A normally quiet-in-the-offseason club upgraded to Rodgers at quarterback and traded for Metcalf before dealing its 2024 leading receiver, George Pickens<\/a>. The Steelers also acquired Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith<\/a>, albeit at the cost of three-time All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick<\/a>. Extensions included a record-setting contract for edge rusher T.J. Watt<\/a> and a secondary-stabilizing extension for Elliott.<\/p>\n

The Steelers prioritized players who could contribute immediately while not fully sacrificing their future. And they did it in large part because they know their Rodgers window could close by January or February.<\/p>\n

The shakeup is no guarantee. But players are buying in.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re going to shock a lot of people,\u201d Metcalf said. \u201cI know there are questions about, \u2018Can we figure it all out?\u2019 I mean, we\u2019re at a destination [for training camp], so we have no choice but to learn each other, figure each other out. We have no choice but to get better on offense versus defense every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

And no choice, it turns out, but to learn each other\u2019s toilet preferences and communicate accordingly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHell, yeah, you got to,\u201d Metcalf said. \u201cThat toilet is loud. If somebody\u2019s asleep, it\u2019s gonna wake them up.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LATROBE, Pa. \u2014 DK Metcalf was setting up a PlayStation in his training camp dorm room on Tuesday…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[1586,3455,2870,7,467,41,1815,1736,7470,7583,6,428,7584,520,57,2360,426,5226,8896,2183,4122],"class_list":{"0":"post-234393","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-pittsburgh-steelers","8":"tag-aaron-rodgers","9":"tag-deshon-elliott","10":"tag-dk-metcalf","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-george-pickens","13":"tag-green-bay","14":"tag-jalen-ramsey","15":"tag-jaylen-warren","16":"tag-jonnu-smith","17":"tag-minkah-fitzpatrick","18":"tag-nfl","19":"tag-packers","20":"tag-patrick-queen","21":"tag-pittsburgh","22":"tag-pittsburgh-steelers","23":"tag-pittsburghsteelers","24":"tag-steelers","25":"tag-t-j-watt","26":"tag-training-camp","27":"tag-will-howard","28":"tag-yahoo-fantasy-football-league"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114912630208473321","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}