PITTSBURGH -- Steelers inside linebacker Payton Wilson admitted he was a "little shocked" when he ran into a familiar face as he walked in the Steelers' practice facility Monday morning.
Days after agreeing to a one-year contract worth up to $25 million, quarterback Aaron Rodgers was among the first people to arrive for the first day of the Steelers' voluntary OTA workouts.
Wilson saw Rodgers just after 7 a.m. as the 42-year-old quarterback left the building to take his physical with head athletic trainer Gabe Amponsah.
"I was walking in, and he was coming out, and it was good to see him," Wilson said. "I was a little shocked, definitely."
After completing his physical, Rodgers returned to the facility around 7:45 a.m., and the team officially announced his signing as the team took the field for an OTA practice just after 11 a.m. A year ago, Rodgers didn't arrive in Pittsburgh and sign his contract until just before mandatory minicamp.
"For him to come back early right now and be around the guys, obviously one of his previous coaches, I mean, it's only positive," kicker Chris Boswell said.
After going through team stretch alongside quarterbacks Will Howard, Drew Allar and Mason Rudolph, Rodgers took the first-team reps in a portion of offensive install during the media viewing period. Rodgers and the offense started out with a run period where he handed the ball off several times before ceding the spot to Howard so the Ohio State product could work with the second team. Rudolph came in as the third quarterback, and Allar finished off the period with the fourth string.
Then in a passing period, Rodgers completed five throws: two to Michael Pittman Jr., and one each to DK Metcalf, Roman Wilson and Pat Freiermuth.
Rodgers' completion to Pittman, whom the Steelers acquired in a trade with the Indianapolis Colts, came on the first throw of the period.
"Even in the first day, he made a couple of great throws, and I was like, wow, I'm really playing with Aaron," Pittman said. "It's great. I mean, I get to play with another Hall of Fame quarterback because I got to play with Philip Rivers. I'm going to say he's going to make it. So this is my second."
Part of working with the likely Hall of Famer is getting used to what he likes and doesn't like -- something that Pittman said was easy to figure out.
"Oh yeah, because he's going to tell you," the receiver said with a laugh. "But yeah, just the subtleties, like if there's pressure, like bring eyes and stop in the spots and certain things like that."
Pittman added that Rodgers hasn't harped on him about not doing things exactly to his standard -- so far.
"It didn't happen to me specifically yet," he said, "but like I've seen it from watching games. ... He's just a vet, just like a super vet quarterback, so he knows what he likes and what he doesn't like. ... if you're not doing what you're supposed to do, he's going to let you know, which is good. I think it's good to have that leadership."
The two got together for a throwing session before Rodgers made up his mind about returning, but Pittman said the quarterback didn't tip his hand about his decision during that meetup. Instead, Pittman said he found out Rodgers was returning via X. Similarly, tackle Troy Fautanu, who worked at left tackle Monday after spending the 2025 season at right tackle, said he learned of Rodgers' return on social media.
"We all found out on Instagram," Fautanu said. "I opened my app and seen Pat McAfee had posted it and I was like, 'Here we go!'"
After working with Howard, Allar and Rudolph through the earlier offseason program, Fautanu said it was a brief adjustment to get used to Rodgers' unique cadence again.
"I was happy to see him back, obviously to have our leader back from last year, kind of having a year with him and kind of learning from him," Fautanu said. "We kind of just picked up where we left off.
"... Today had to get back used to [the cadence], because we've been hearing Will and Mason and them the past couple weeks. But once he got back in there after that first snap, it was kind of like we never left."