How signing Aaron Rodgers impacted 'vibe' of Steelers' locker room

There continues to be no sign that Pittsburgh Steelers players resent the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers skipped most of the offseason program before he inked a team-friendly contract to join the club ahead of its mandatory minicamp. 

During the latest edition of the "Kaboly and Mack" program shared on YouTube, Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz discussed his initial impression of Rodgers coming off their brief interactions earlier this month. 

"To me and, I feel like to everybody, he's been nothing but cool and respectful, and he is just a dude," Kuntz said about Rodgers, per Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. "He just happens to be one of the best quarterbacks of all time, but he's honestly just another dude. He sits with guys at lunch, dinner, whatever it is. The vibe is obviously great."

Kuntz essentially repeated a previous take about how Rodgers "pleasantly surprised" Pittsburgh players and coaches with his actions and demeanor during the Steelers' three-day mandatory minicamp. He quickly established himself as a mentor for younger members of the locker room such as rookie signal-caller Will Howard, and he plans to work out with some of his new teammates in Malibu ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend. 

Much has been said since this past March about how Rodgers will and/or won't get along with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith after Smith allegedly did not want veteran Russell Wilson "changing plays at the line of scrimmage ... and deviating from the game plan" last season. Rodgers has a reputation for essentially running the offensive show on the field during games. 

Either intentionally or accidentally, Kuntz may have sent a message to Smith and head coach Mike Tomlin about the amount of freedom Rodgers should have this coming September. 

"We get a guy like Aaron Rodgers that knows how to manipulate a defense the way he does, and the guy's a four-time MVP, Super Bowl champ," Kuntz added during his comments. "Like what the hell are we talking about? We got this guy in the locker room, we got a chance. It don't matter. So the vibes are definitely extremely high."

Smith and Rodgers reportedly will spend some time together in an attempt to get on the same page regarding game plans before players report for training camp on July 23. If nothing else, Smith may need to realize just how popular Rodgers already is among Steelers players who view him as a living legend.