“They’ve shown their true colors”: John Middlekauff sees Steelers sticking to old-school blueprint with or without Aaron Rodgers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have prided themselves on two things: Defense and running the ball. For as long as Pittsburgh's been in the NFL, the philosophy has been to control the game defensively and maintain lengthy drives offensively with their run game.

Entering the 2025 season, the Steelers are expected to bring in four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers to join an otherwise underwhelming quarterback group. Besides names like Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger, it's unprecedented for the front office to bring in a signal-caller of Rodgers' caliber, given their philosophy as an organization.

Head coach Mike Tomlin has upheld such a philosophy, and will likely continue Pittsburgh's rugged play with or without Rodgers on the team. NFL insider John Middlekauff agreed with the sentiment, touching on the Steelers' potential offensive strategy with Rodgers on "The Colin Cowherd Podcast" on Saturday.

"I don't think they're losing a bunch of sleep over (the Aaron Rodgers) situation," Middlekauff said. "It's not an easy solution, but they've shown their true colors. Their organizational philosophy is run the ball and play defense."

Middlekauff added that even beyond Tomlin, Pittsburgh's team philosophies have dated back to the 'Steel Curtain' dynasty of the 1970s, running through the Rooney family.

Aaron Rodgers: insider offers confidence in Steelers as landing spot

The Steelers have continued to play the waiting game on Rodgers for much of the offseason. To this point in the offseason, Pittsburgh has brought three quarterbacks after losing both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson in free agency.

The front office signed veteran backups Skylar Thompson and Mason Rudolph, along with bringing in former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, as they await Aaron Rodgers' decision. Still, the team has remained confident they'll land Rodgers. Sharing their confidence is one of the quarterback's close confidants.

Over the weekend, Ian O'Connor, a biographer who worked with Aaron Rodgers on his book, made an appearance on 93.7 The Fan to discuss the future of the five-time All-Pro.

"I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he's told (the Steelers), 'Listen, I'm gonna play for you. I just don't want to go there and then miss part of the mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I'm pretty sure they're gonna be solved by the end of May," O'Connor said on the show.

Pittsburgh is a little over a week away from the start of OTAs and will likely continue to await the decision of the future Hall-of-Famer.