One of the newest Pittsburgh Steelers is trying to make his impact felt before even stepping on the field.
During his introductory press conference with the team, cornerback Brandin Echols told reporters that he’s recruiting Aaron Rodgers to come join him in Pittsburgh after the pair played together with the New York Jets last season.
“Hell yeah, tell his a** come on,” Echols said.
The Jets went into 2024 with expectations of snapping the franchise’s 13-season playoff drought.
Instead, the entire operation came crumbling down as they finished with a 5-12 record, leading to Rodgers’ release once a new regime led by head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey walked into town.
Though the situation didn’t transpire as anyone had hoped, Echols still came away with a positive impression of Rodgers and believes that sharing a field with the four-time MVP helped him grow as a player.
“It was cool, man,” Echols said. “When he first got there, I couldn’t really feel him out. But after a while, we kind of gravitated towards each other. In practices, he started trying to attack me, but that was for the betterment of me, and I will say having him around, it did make me a better football player.”
Echols’ two-year deal with the Steelers, which he initially agreed to on Wednesday, became official on Thursday.
The 27-year-old appeared in a total of 57 games for the Jets after they chose him in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft out of Kentucky.
This past season, Echols started four of the 16 contests he suited up for while coming away with two interceptions and allowing 24 catches on 40 targets in coverage, per Pro Football Reference.
While Pittsburgh is bringing back Mason Rudolph, Rodgers remains the real prize at quarterback. It’s unclear when exactly he’s going to make a decision on the next step in his football journey, but Echols is hoping that his recruiting efforts ultimately help win him over.
