What Steelers' Calvin Austin III learned about Aaron Rodgers during workouts

Calvin Austin III was among the Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receivers who spent time working out with quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Malibu shortly after Rodgers officially joined the Steelers ahead of the club's mandatory minicamp in June. 

During a recent chat with Doc Holliday of Memphis' Action News 5, Austin touched upon what he learned about Rodgers over the past month or so.

"Being out there with [Rodgers] in Malibu and talking one-on-one with him and the rest of the receivers, and really seeing how he thinks about football, he thinks about the game," Austin explained, as shared by Troy Montgomery of Steelers Depot. "For example, he's going over two minutes and what his mindset is. His mindset is, he's saying, 'We're gonna do this because I know the defense is gonna do this and they don't wanna do this.' You see that experience, and playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback. It's gonna be special."

Critics called Rodgers a "distraction" and "self-centered" during his tenure with the New York Jets that ran from April 2023 through the 2024 season. However, he reportedly left Pittsburgh teammates "pleasantly surprised" by how he handled himself during mandatory minicamp.

Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz praised Rodgers' impact on the "vibe" within the club's locker room. Additionally, Rodgers quickly took rookie quarterback Will Howard under his wing. 

Some members of the NFL community previously ripped Rodgers for remaining a free agent through the bulk of springtime workouts. Austin indicated he's already learned plenty from Rodgers even though the signal-caller wasn't on the practice field during voluntary organized team activities.  

"Sometimes, you can be given too much, or sometimes [quarterbacks] say too much," Austin added during his comments about Rodgers. "He just broke it down like, 'Get open on time with my feet and cadence. Anything else, we can work with. It's not like this, you have to be here, here.' He lets you play football."

Rodgers allegedly "never saw eye-to-eye" with Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson as that team went 5-12 last season. Perhaps Rodgers building strong relationships with Austin and other Pittsburgh targets over the next two months will ensure everybody remains on the same page through at least January 2026.