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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers brought the recently retired wide receiver Adam Thielen into the fold with the 2025 season in its home stretch. A midseason addition via the waiver wire, Thielen gave quarterback Aaron Rodgers a reliable and trusted veteran after struggling with depth at the position all year long.
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As hopeful as things began between the Steelers and Thielen, the results wound up being less than everyone hoped. Thielen was a bottom of the depth chart guy for his tenure and the Steelers dropped yet another playoff game.
And while things didn’t go as planned, Thielen left the Steelers with a once-in-a-career experience playing alongside Rodgers. He described the tone Rodgers set as being prepared and ready to change on the fly every single moment, and being on that same level was the “most stressed” he had been in his career.
“It’s the most stressed I’ve ever been in my entire career,” he admitted on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I felt like I was a rookie again because you’re kind of like, ‘I don’t know what he’s gonna say, and I hope I know what he says, because if I don’t, I’m gonna get my butt chewed and I’m probably never gonna get the ball.'”
“I hope I know what he says, ’cause if I don’t, I’m gonna get my butt chewed and I’m probably never gonna get the ball…”
Guest host @AThielen19 on being in the huddle with @Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers.
https://t.co/GXMOh8hXUl#Steelers | #HereWeGo | @44DoubleJpic.twitter.com/o8VIoCBwql
– SiriusXM NFL Radio (@SiriusXMNFL) July 7, 2026
Thielen Admires Rodgers’ Work Ethic on the Field
The former Steelers wide receiver wasn’t being critical of Rodgers. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Thielen discussed why that work ethic and intensity Rodgers brings is part of what made him a four-time NFL MVP and a sure bet to become a first ballot Hall of Famer in the near future.
“I’d better lock in every second of every day, or he’s gonna rip me apart,” he continued. “It’s a good thing; it’s why he’s had a lot of success. Because he demands so much out of everybody.”
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Even in his 22nd year playing in the NFL, it’s clear Rodgers still sets the tone. He’s prepared, ready to work and gives 100% every single day.
And he expects nothing less from everyone around him.
Will It Lead Steelers to Success in 2026?
This is likely the final run of Rodgers’ career. A one-time Super Bowl champion with Mike McCarthy as his head coach in Green Bay, Rodgers is hoping to bookend his career with another Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Can the rest of the roster meet Rodgers at that level of intensity? If they can do that and match the preparedness the star quarterback brings, the Steelers might just find more success in 2026.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as Former Steelers WR Gets Candid on Playing With Aaron Rodgers.
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This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 6:00 AM.