Aaron Rodgers, quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has expressed satisfaction with the progress of wide receiver Roman Wilson. Wilson, now in his second year, caught his first NFL touchdown during a recent game against the Green Bay Packers. In that game, he had four receptions for 74 yards—both career highs—which led all Steelers receivers.
Rodgers said he anticipated Wilson’s strong performance. “I told him last Wednesday, ‘It’s going to be your week this week,’ just kind of a feeling,” Rodgers stated. He described how Wilson followed up with his best practice of the season on Thursday and highlighted several coachable moments from that session. “So, I told Ro, I’ve liked him since the first time we got to know each other out in Malibu, and I told him back then ‘I’m going to coach you to your potential and not to what I’m seeing.’ So, I’m going to hold him to a high standard, and I was really proud of him in the game for the couple of reaction plays that he made. We just need to see consistency from him.”
The connection between Rodgers and Wilson was evident early in the game against Green Bay when they combined for a 45-yard pass play on third down. Although penalties forced Pittsburgh to settle for a field goal on that drive, Wilson later scored with a 21-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.
Rodgers explained his approach to evaluating receivers: “I haven’t seen consistently make the plays I’m expecting him to make.” He added that consistent effort in practice gives him confidence in targeting certain players during games.
On what makes a good practice, Rodgers said: “Every play is watched from practice, so it’s the attention to detail on the routes… But there were some other routes on the backside when he didn’t get the ball where you started to see some of the craft show up, some of the detail in the routes that gives you confidence that you can trust.”
He also praised both Wilson and tight end Pat Freiermuth for maintaining positive attitudes despite slow starts: “But to never once have a negative day – energy-wise, attitude-wise – is a credit to both of those guys. I’m really proud of both of them.”
Wilson now has eight catches for 110 yards this season as he continues developing after being selected by Pittsburgh in the third round of last year’s draft.
Asked about advice for his team amid its current two-game losing streak, Rodgers emphasized perseverance: “You’ve got to stay the course,” he said. He noted challenges faced during recent games but pointed out areas where improvement could help turn results around: “We haven’t played well in the second four.”
