PITTSBURGH — In his seven seasons as an NFL coordinator, Arthur Smith has had just one year in which he started training camp with an incumbent quarterback. This year is no different.

But he has never had a quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers.

"It's impressive to watch him live," Smith said. "And it's unique."

After just one week at Saint Vincent College, Smith is all but blown away by so many aspects of his 41-year-old quarterback, whom he calls a "perfect fit" for what he wants to do with the Steelers offense in 2025.

At the top of the list is Rodgers' ability to throw the football — and not just because he is a former four-time league MVP and the NFL's seventh-leading all-time passer.

"I've seen it on some of the down-the-field throws, the RPMs he has that thing, the way that ball spins, the pace he puts on those things. You're talking 25- to 30-plus-yard throws to just the simple flats.

"I don't know who really did the no-look pass. I don't want to offend anyone — [Patrick] Mahomes, they all try it — but he's done that as good or better than anybody."

There's another intangible Rodgers brings to the position the Steelers believe is better than any other quarterback in the league: his ability to read defenses at the line of scrimmage.

That's another reason Smith is as excited as ever to work with Rodgers, even though the window to get him acclimated to the offense has been shortened by Rodgers' late signing.

"He still throws the ball, for his age, it's unbelievable his release and how he generates power," Smith said. "Father Time gets us all, but you look at the last six games last season, when he's healthy, he moves around well. That's what has been impressive."

Smith has only had one quarterback — Ryan Tannehill with the Tennessee Titans in 2020 — who came to training camp as the incumbent starter. So moving on and adapting from Russell Wilson, even Justin Fields, is nothing new for him.

It is nothing new for the Steelers, either. Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, Rodgers will be the fourth different quarterback in the past four years to start a season opener.

"I know that's been a topic of discussion here and how I do stuff, but I have always given every quarterback I had — whether [Marcus] Mariota and Tannehill [in Tennessee] to Matt Ryan to [Desmond] Ridder [in Atlanta] to Justin and Russ and Mason [Rudolph], you try to play into your strengths," Smith said. "With Aaron, you're talking about a guy with 20-plus years.

"It's cool because we both have been in a lot of offenses. He's been the perfect fit for what we want to do, with how we package things, without giving away too much info."

Smith's offense was a mixed bag in 2024, mostly remembered because the Steelers never scored more than 17 points during their five-game losing streak to end the season, including postseason.

What is forgotten is the Steelers averaged 28.8 points during a 7-1 stretch leading up to their late collapse. And that included a 44-point outburst in Cincinnati in which Wilson threw for 414 yards.

Now Smith is entrusted with not only getting Rodgers acclimated to his offense but new receivers DK Metcalf, Robert Woods and Jonnu Smith and rookie running back Kaleb Johnson, as well. And he's trying to do it all at training camp because Rodgers did not sign until right before minicamp.

"It's all about timing and spacing and trust," Smith said. "That's what we're building here in a short amount of time. That's why the urgency in camp, understanding where we can take this thing and be ready Week 1."

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