Aaron Rodgers hates his new helmet. The Steelers QB is more upbeat about his team's offense

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers began his 21st season by begrudgingly giving up his now-outdated helmet for one that complies with NFL regulations.

Three weeks into playing with the new lid, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback isn't exactly a convert.

“I hate it, hate it," Rodgers said Wednesday.

Rodgers played with the Schutt Air XP Pro Q11 LTD for years, a model now banned by the NFL for reasons he is still trying to figure out.

“I wore (the old model) last year, no concussions,” Rodgers said. “Some arbitrary ruling made it obsolete. I should have pushed it more, petitioned the league to let me wear it one more time.”

As for what specifically bothers him about the updated helmet, the NFL's oldest active player pointed to its aesthetics. The approved helmet is much larger and much rounder than his previous one, and the difference is noticeable.

The 41-year-old caught a glimpse of his old look on the videoboard in New England last weekend after throwing his 509th touchdown pass, a toss to DK Metcalf that vaulted Rodgers over former teammate Brett Favre and into fourth on the NFL's career list.

In the moment, he felt a little wistful.

“It was a picture of me from 2012,” Rodgers said. “I said, 'Look at that. Helmet fits perfect. Tiny little ear pads. Face mask in the perfect spot.”

Yet if there's anything Rodgers has learned in 2025, it's adaptability. Now on his third team in four years, he is trying to embrace what he called earlier this season the “new new.” He doesn't love the helmet but knows wearing it means he is allowed to do his job.

And while he believes he's left plenty of room for improvement during Pittsburgh's 2-1 start, Rodgers also knows his play and the Steelers offense have made up in efficiency what they have lacked in style.

It's one of the reasons he's upbeat about the direction Pittsburgh is heading as it prepares for an overseas trip to Dublin, Ireland, this weekend to face Minnesota (2-1).

“I can play better, for sure,” said Rodgers, whose seven touchdown passes are tied for second in the league through three weeks. “You know, it’s just about sometimes you just have to take what the defense gives you and be comfortable with that. Some of our best plays is just getting the ball into our playmaker’s hands and letting them go. So I just need to be disciplined like I usually am and get the ball to the guys.”

The Steelers have been outgained by more than 400 yards through three games, but head toward the end of September tied with Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati for first place in the AFC North.

Yes, it's still early, but Pittsburgh has converted seven of its eight trips into the red zone into touchdowns, the second-best red zone touchdown rate in the league behind Philadelphia.

There are far worse things to build on.

“We’re figuring it out,” Rodgers said. “It hasn’t been the prettiest at times. But the good thing is, our defense played the way they want to play last week and we made just enough plays to win. So at this point, it’s about winning. The chemistry is there, the continuity, the belief in each other is there. It’s just going out and executing."

That could be a challenge against the Vikings, who have one of the league's best defenses led by coordinator Brian Flores, who served as an assistant in Pittsburgh in 2022 after being fired as the head coach in Miami.

Flores, whose racial discrimination lawsuit against the NFL is still pending more than three years after it was filed, excels at keeping opposing quarterbacks off balance. Rodgers, who has seen just about everything during his two decades in the league, knows a unique challenge awaits at Croke Park.

Yet Rodgers dismissed the idea that there was ever a chance he might have ended up on the other sideline for the NFL's first regular-season game in Ireland.

Asked about reports that he approached Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell — a longtime friend and occasional workout partner — about signing with the Vikings instead of Pittsburgh, Rodgers demurred.

“I’ve known him forever, we’ve been friends forever, and we keep in touch,” Rodgers said of O'Connell. “He’s one of the guys I keep in contact with. Things never progressed farther than catch-up conversations. And I’ll leave it at that.”

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