Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had a rough start to his new team's training camp Thursday (July 24).

Rodgers was intercepted by veteran linebacker Patrick Queen on his very first pass of the session at St. Vincent College Thursday (July 24), though he doesn't believe it's a bad omen.

"It's good to get that out the way," Rodgers said via ESPN. "Anybody that's watched me practice over the years, you like to try certain throws at certain times, and anybody that's watched me in the games knows I've been pretty stellar taking care of the football over the years.

"It's going to be a good challenge for me throwing in this heat every single day. I look forward to it, but I'm going to throw some picks, but I'm going to throw some touchdowns, too."

Rodgers didn't throw any touchdowns during Thursday's practice and had just one completion to newly acquired primary receiver DK Metcalf, though he said he wasn't concerned about their chemistry.

"DK and I have worked out in the offseason together, got a good relationship," Rodgers said via ESPN. "We talked about a lot of football stuff. We FaceTime, we texted during the offseason after many camps, so we've got a good relationship. It's going to just keep on growing."

Rodgers agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers to return for his 21st NFL season last. The four-time NFL MVP had previously hinted at the Steelers, the long presumed favorite to land him, when he mentioned there was "a team that might play in Chicago this year," referencing the Steelers' road game against the Bears in 2025 during a recent Q&A session in August, Texas.

Rodgers spent the past two seasons with the New York Jets prior to the team's decision to move on from him this past offseason. The 41-year-old was acquired in a trade with the Green Bay Packers in 2023 and pegged to be the missing piece for a team that hadn't made a postseason appearance since 2010.

Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles injury during his first drive with the Jets in 2023 and experienced one of the worst seasons of his career in 2024, leading the team to a 5-12 record.

Mandy Connell