Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) leaves the field following an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers stood in front of a room of mostly strangers in early June and promised his new teammates that he was fully committed to leaning into every part of being a Pittsburgh Steeler for however long he might be in town.

The four-time MVP has been true to his word in more ways than one.

The drama that surrounded Rodgers during his two eventful and frustrating years with the New York Jets has been replaced by a quiet joy. The 41-year-old is leaning into his 21st season, both on and off the field.

The freethinker who has never hesitated to speak his mind is still doing so, just not as publicly as in years past. The wide-ranging conversations that Rodgers used to have on national television — the ones that would sometimes amplify the outside noise around him — are now mostly reserved for the locker room, the cafeteria or the team plane during road trips.

Rodgers offered only a quick “no comment” when asked earlier this season if he planned to keep his past media commitments. Maybe there’s no need to comment. Eight games in, he seems to have made a very intentional decision designed to keep distractions to a minimum while leaning into all things Pittsburgh during what could be the final season of his Hall of Fame career.

He turned heads in September when he name-checked the bridge he travels over every day on his way to the Steelers practice facility, even though he’d been in town for a matter of weeks at the time.

Rodgers popped into a Pittsburgh Penguins game with some teammates in late October, and casually used the nickname for Penguins longtime center Evgeni Malkin — known locally as Geno — while talking about the two-decade partnership between Malkin, team captain Sidney Crosby and defenseman Kris Letang.

When the Pittsburgh Panthers, who share a building with the Steelers, faced Stanford last weekend, the Cal alum couldn’t help but smile while urging Pitt to beat the Bears’ archrival.

What stands out is that it doesn’t feel performative. Rodgers does not appear to be checking a box or intentionally ingratiating himself to a fan base, a chunk of which was skeptical about his intentions when he signed.

He seems to be enjoying this, and the peace he’s found has helped keep the Steelers steady during an at times wildly uneven opening two months of the season.

The fact that he can still ball hasn’t hurt. Rodgers already has 17 touchdown passes, putting him on pace to break the franchise record of 34 set by Ben Roethlisberger in 2018.

Yet Rodgers’ focus is not on whatever personal milestones might still be out there, but keeping the Steelers focused and being the “servant leader” he pledged to be when he arrived.

Rodgers has kept his promise. And because of it, the Steelers are showing promise heading into the second half of a season in which everything appears to be on the table.

What’s working

The synergy between Rodgers and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The Steelers are averaging a respectable 25.2 points per game, thanks in large part to a massive uptick in red zone efficiency. Pittsburgh has converted 73% of its red zone opportunities into touchdowns, up from 48% last year, thanks to a combination of Rodgers’ decision-making and Smith’s unique personnel groupings that keep defenses off balance.

What needs help

The defense when it’s not causing turnovers with regularity. While Pittsburgh is second in the league in takeaways after a six-turnover masterpiece on Sunday against Indianapolis, the Steelers remain near the bottom of the NFL in yards allowed. Creating a handful of turnovers a week is likely unsustainable with Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Joe Flacco, Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson (twice) on the remaining schedule. Getting off the field on third down would help. Pittsburgh is allowing opponents to convert 42% of its third downs, in the bottom 10 in the league.

Stock up

There isn’t a player in the NFL quite like tight end Darnell Washington. The massive 6-foot-7, 300ish-pounder (his exact weight is far above the 265 he’s listed at) doubles as an extra offensive lineman when asked to block and a matchup nightmare when he gets involved in the passing game. Washington had a career-high four receptions and six targets against Indianapolis, and considering Rodgers’ faith in him, those numbers figure to creep up over the season’s second half.

Stock down

Tight end Jonnu Smith’s arrival in the same offseason trade that brought in safety Jalen Ramsey gave the Steelers another veteran receiving option to pair with Pat Freiermuth. Yet Smith has been mostly an afterthought. He hasn’t had more than three receptions in a game since Week 2 and has yet to have even 30 yards receiving in a game. Part of the drop-off can be attributed to Rodgers’ ability to spread the ball around but Smith has also shown little ability to get downfield.

Injuries

Pittsburgh has been relatively healthy compared to its AFC North brethren, though losing safety DeShon Elliott for the season with a knee injury is a tough emotional blow. Veteran left guard Isaac Seumalo aggravated the pec injury he initially sustained against the Packers, putting his status in doubt.

Key number

300 — regular-season games coached by Mike Tomlin. He became the 11th coach in NFL history to reach that plateau on Sunday. Tomlin is 188-110-2 in Pittsburgh and is five wins away from tying Steelers Hall of Famer Chuck Noll for most wins by a coach in franchise history.

Next steps

Try to avoid a repeat of last season’s second-half collapse, when a 10-3 start ended with five straight losses. The journey begins with a trip out West next Sunday to face the Los Angeles Chargers.