Steelers' Will Howard, Drew Allar can learn this important lesson from Aaron Rodgers

2025 sixth-round draft pick Will Howard and 2026 third-round choice Drew Allar are currently sharing the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback room with starter and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.

Meanwhile, retired wide receiver Adam Thielen spent a portion of the 2025 season serving as Rodgers' teammate with Pittsburgh. During a Monday appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" program, Thielen shared what Howard and Allar can learn from Rodgers as it pertains to handling midweek preparations for games. 

Aaron Rodgers "treated every single practice like it was a Super Bowl" during 2025 season

"These guys are great and separate themselves because of their process," Thielen said while speaking about Rodgers, per Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "He treated every single practice like it was a Super Bowl. And I mean that. It was unbelievable to see firsthand just how hard he practiced, what it meant to him, how much communication there was through the week of trying to get everybody on the same page, whether that be coaches or players." 

Rodgers' intensity has seemingly rubbed some teammates the wrong way during portions of his remarkable career. Nevertheless, mimicking his practice habits should only benefit Howard and Allar as the two attempt to become Rodgers' eventual successor. 

Allar is a project for the future who probably won't play in a regular-season game before September 2027 at the earliest unless disaster strikes the Steelers over the next seven months. Meanwhile, Howard may not have a long-term future with the team that drafted him if first-year Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy names veteran Mason Rudolph Pittsburgh's primary backup this coming summer. 

Adam Thielen now better understands why Aaron Rodgers has "been so great for so long"

"To see him in the building and in practice and his communication and the way that he does things in his detail," Thielen added about Rodgers, "it really showed me why he's been so great for so long."

Neither Howard nor Allar may have the physical gifts that Rodgers possessed when in his prime. That said, following in his footsteps during spring and summer workouts could potentially help one of them eventually cement himself as Pittsburgh's 2027 Week 1 starter.