Aaron Rodgers “doesn’t give a sh*t” about Roman Wilson’s targets while Adam Thielen confesses Pittsburgh Steelers QB stresses wide receivers | NFL News
In Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver trio- DK Metcalf got 10 targets, Roman Wilson got 6 targets, and Michael Pittman Jr. got 3 targets from Aaron Rodgers.When reporters asked Rodgers about Wilson’s target count, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said, “I don’t give a sh*t about the target list. I don’t care about any of that.”He continued, “I love Roman. I think he’s done a great job. You know, I think there’s gonna be a play, too, that he makes…that allows him to take off, but I thought he played fast last week. I thought he played decisively, and I think he’s just gonna keep on getting better.”
Aaron Rodgers does not care about Roman Wilson’s target count
When another reporter stressed why Aaron Rodgers didn’t give a [—] about the target list, he said, “Because the ball goes to the open guy…So, I don’t wanna hear people talking about…Nobody in the locker room talks about their targets. That’s all for you guys to talk about.”Then another reporter asked if Rodgers’ career teammates ever spoke about targets, or if Steelers teammates in particular didn’t talk about targets.He replied, “There’s certain guys that need to get targets. And everybody else gets in the flow. That’s the reality of just about every offense in the league.”The supposed constant pestering from reporters finally got them the reply they needed! Roman Wilson was probably his second-favorite target in Pittsburgh. After DK Metcalf but before Michael Pittman Jr.Anyhow, speaking of targets, Rodgers uses a unique method to choose his targets. A former wide receiver who played with Rodgers said that Rodgers’ unique method is stressful for wide receivers.
Adam Thielen explains why Aaron Rodgers is stressful for target wide receivers
Adam Thielen reportedly said Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is stressful for his wide receivers: “If you mess up a hand signal, you will not get the ball for a week and maybe longer.”Adam Thielen told ESPN’s NFL Live that Rodgers is stressful for his wide receivers because the veteran quarterback can read defenses, demand communication, and constantly change routes with hand signals.“And if you mess up a hand signal, you will not get the ball for a week and maybe longer. If you’re a rookie, you’re not on the field again,” former Steelers wide receiver Adam Thielen revealed a few months back.
Aaron Rodgers invented hand signals for his receivers
Adam Thielen retired in January 2026. He played the 2025 season for the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers.Thielen described playing with Aaron Rodgers as “wild, an opportunity, and unbelievable.”“I have known him [Aaron Rodgers] for a long time, played a lot of golf, but it’s a lot different playing with him.It was wild. He has an entire offense out of the offense. Basically, it’s all hand signals. It wasn’t necessarily difficult to learn the playbook, but learning that was extremely challenging. And took so much time and effort.”Thielen reached the Pittsburgh facility for a Wednesday meeting and played on Sunday. He kept asking Rodgers questions leading up to the game, but Rodgers probably didn’t want any business talking to him at the time.Nevertheless, Thielen wanted to be on the same page as Rodgers because he knew him: “If you mess up something, you’re probably not ever touching the field again. I wasn’t willing to take that risk.”Thielen put in hours to find out what Rodgers does. But he is glad for the things he learned. He got a glimpse of why Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers were so great in 2025. The Steelers won the division title then. Will it happen again? Remains to be seen…
