Aaron Rodgers facing unexpected problem in Steelers camp
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still adjusting to life as a Pittsburgh Steeler, but it’s not a football problem that has him struggling.
Aaron Rodgers is out to prove he can still play ball at an elite level after a brief and unsuccessful tenure with the New York Jets. Now the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers has some adjusting to do. But one of the things he’s struggling with most has nothing to do with football at all.
Aaron Rodgers forced to adjust after NFL bans his helmet
The challenge Rodgers faces now is which helmet to wear on game day. He can no longer wear the Schutt Air XP Pro Q11 LTD - his longtime choice - after it was banned by the NFL and NFLPA for failing updated safety standards.
The 41-year-old veteran has been testing alternatives in camp, including the Schutt Air XP Pro VTD II, which he joked “looks like a damn spaceship.” Rodgers has been through helmet drama before, when the NFL outlawed his preferred option back in 2019, and he’s now the latest star forced to adapt as the league tightens safety guidelines.
Equipment experts say the league is pushing innovation to reduce head trauma, even if it means veterans like Rodgers feel uncomfortable abandoning tradition.
“I get it. He wants to wear what he’s always worn and what he’s been successful wearing,” Guardian Sports co-founder and CEO Erin Hanson said. “To him, it’s about that, but I respect what the NFL is doing, which is putting incredibly smart people on the task of testing these helmets and vetting new innovations.”
Past stars like Tom Brady and Antonio Brown also resisted helmet changes. Brown even threatened to retire over it.
“Tradition and superstition are one thing, but the [NFL] is very invested in their safety and has to make changes as innovations come,” she said. “I get both sides of it.”
Rodgers has used Schutt helmets for 20 years and was even an investor in rival company Vicis, giving his decision added weight in the helmet industry. While frustrated, he says he’ll make the switch before the Steelers’ September 7 opener against his former team, the Jets.
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