Ben Roethlisberger has big request for Aaron Rodgers amid Steelers' springtime workouts

As of the morning of May 14, outsiders could only speculate why Aaron Rodgers hadn't yet signed a contract to serve as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback for the 2025 season. 

During the latest episode of his "Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger" podcast, the Steelers legend explained why he believes Rodgers should want to begin working under head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith sooner rather than later. 

"He's an incredibly smart, smart man. So, do I think he could pick it up? Absolutely," Roethlisberger said about Rodgers learning Smith's offense, as shared by Jeremy Pike of Steelers Depot. "But there's also something to be said about being on the field with guys at practice, to see how guys run routes, to do things, to communicate, to let them hear your voice in the huddle, to hear your cadence, to hear your audibles, all that stuff."

Rodgers seemingly agreed with Roethlisberger's take back in the spring of 2023 when the 41-year-old quickly began working to build on-the-field chemistry with New York Jets teammates after he received his desired trade from the Green Bay Packers. While multiple reporters have suggested that Rodgers simply doesn't want to participate in the ongoing portion of the offseason program, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette mentioned on Tuesday that he believes "the personal issues" the future Hall of Famer referenced in April are why he began the second Wednesday of May as a free agent. 

The fact that Rodgers reportedly "has stayed in relatively constant contact with" Tomlin would understandably lead people to believe the two sides have some sort of handshake agreement regarding the upcoming campaign. That's all well and good, but Roethlisberger thinks everybody involved would benefit from having Rodgers in the building before Pittsburgh's mandatory minicamp begins on June 10.

"The coach and you need to get on the same page, so that when coach is calling plays, he knows what you like and don't like," Roethlisberger added. "And then when you're changing things, he understands why you're changing it and what you're changing it to."

With no Rodgers on the roster, longtime backup Mason Rudolph is on track to serve as Pittsburgh's QB1. Eventually, Tomlin and Steelers general manager Omar Khan will need to know if they should make the Atlanta Falcons an offer for wantaway quarterback Kirk Cousins before training-camp practices get underway in July.