Cam Heyward seemed to grow fed up with the Aaron Rodgers waiting game earlier this offseason, but the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman has quickly taken a liking to his team's new quarterback.
Rodgers took much, much longer than expected to sign with the Steelers in free agency. When asked about the situation in mid-March, Heyward was not shy in expressing his frustration. The seven-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle even took a swipe at Rodgers over Rodgers' infamous darkness retreat.
Heyward later said his comments were "misconstrued" and he was only making the point that he was not about to go to great lengths to recruit any player.
During an interview with NFL Network on Monday, Heyward was asked for his impressions of Rodgers after practicing against the four-time MVP in training camp. As expected, Heyward had nothing but positive things to say.
"The thing I've really been impressed by is he wants to be one of the guys. He wants to be a guy that is engulfed by the Steelers culture," Heyward said. "And then, I love how he competes day in and day out. He's talking crap to all the defenders, letting everybody know. It's iron sharpens iron — having a guy like that who's done it and is not weathered by it but just wants to keep competing, and he's in the right spot to do that."
Heyward likely never had anything against Rodgers. The point that he was trying to make in March was that no player should have to be begged to sign with the Steelers, as the history of the franchise speaks for itself.
Now that Heyward has seen Rodgers in action, he has a new appreciation for the 41-year-old quarterback. Heyward also knows that a healthy Rodgers likely gives the Steelers a better chance to compete than Russell Wilson did a year ago.
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