How Brett Favre unintentionally made Steelers' Aaron Rodgers a better mentor

Current Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has previously discussed how Hall of Famer Brett Favre wasn't the warmest of mentors after the Green Bay Packers made Rodgers the 24th overall selection of the 2005 NFL Draft when Favre was atop the club's depth chart and not yet ready to retire.

During a Tuesday appearance on Pittsburgh radio station WDVE, Rodgers expanded on how spending the bulk of his first three pro seasons as a backup made him want to become a big-brother figure for younger players, such as Pittsburgh rookie quarterback Will Howard.

"I think just like parents want to raise their kids and do better than their parents...I always wanted to give [younger players] what I didn't have those three years [with Green Bay]," Rodgers explained, as shared by Joe Clark of Steelers Depot. "When I came in, Brett was 36 years old. I was 21. He still wanted to play. But I just feel like there was a way to do that mentorship, still be the guy, and still play as well as you want and still pass on the knowledge to the next generation."

Jordan Love has mentioned on numerous occasions over the years that serving as Rodgers' backup with the Packers from 2020 through the 2022 season helped Love become a playoff-caliber QB1 who received a four-year, $220M deal last summer. Rodgers then seemed to be close with former New York Jets starter Zach Wilson in 2023 before Wilson's feelings about Rodgers allegedly "soured" during that season. 

More recently, Rodgers has taken Howard under his wing and vowed to help the first-year pro "become a better player this year." Rodgers seems serious about keeping that promise. 

"I've always tried to do it with my backups," Rodgers added during his comments. "...When there's such a big age gap, like with Jordan, me and Zach Wilson, and then with me and Will now, I just want to pass on what I learned to those guys."

As much as those running the Steelers would appreciate Howard ultimately becoming an updated version of Rodgers, Pittsburgh first wants the 41-year-old to guide the club to at least a postseason appearance. Rodgers' journey with the Steelers will officially get underway when he faces the Jets at MetLife Stadium in Week 1 on Sept. 7.