Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh Steelers embrace Guinness and Gaelic names ahead of NFL’s historic Croke Park return

Mike Tomlin said the Pittsburgh Steelers were “all business” (with a smirk). TJ Watt said the players might have one pint of Guinness – no more. Aaron Rodgers said he wanted Guinness on tap.

“I haven’t seen any taps right now,” joked the four-time MVP quarterback.

Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf meanwhile insisted he was just here to play a football game, content with seeing Ireland through the window of his plane on the flight in and out. The definition of ‘all business’.

The likelihood of the Steelers tasting Guinness may be slim, so too the likelihood of players getting the time to explore Dublin, but the magnitude of this weekend’s trip has not been lost on anybody as Pittsburgh host the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game in Ireland at Croke Park.

Owner Art Rooney II saw to ensuring that sentiment was clear on Wednesday when he personally addressed his team to discuss the franchise’s deep-rooted links to Ireland.

“It was nice to see Art get excited, he was carrying his hurling stick around,” said defensive lineman Cam Heyward. “It means a lot to our organisation. Ireland has always embraced the Rooney family.”

The Steelers delivered a charming nod to their Irish roots at practice on Friday by swapping out their normal player nameplates with Gaelic surnames.

“I hope it comes with pronunciation,” joked Watt.

‘Mac Ruairi’ was the name printed on the back of Rodgers’ shirt on Friday, the veteran quarterback admitting he wished the team had flown in earlier in the week to embrace more of the Irish festivities and culture.

Few active players in the league can attest to having witnessed the NFL’s global evolution of the past two decades as much as the 41-year-old self-labelled ‘historian’ of the group.

“I have a lot of love for this country,” Rodgers told Sky Sports. “I have genealogy that dates back to relatives on my mom’s side from Ireland and Scotland. I’ve always just had a fascination with the country.

“I’ve known, being a lover of history, about the geo-political issues and the sentiment around certain neighbouring areas but I’ve just always enjoyed the culture.”

Rodgers had jokingly assured reporters earlier in the day that his expression of love for Guinness was not merely a veteran PR move to cater to the host city. It is, in fact, evidently a drink of choice.

“For the last 10 years, strictly for the most part, if I drink beer, which I don’t often, I will drink Guinness. That’s a true story. Guinness on tap is my favourite beer.

“Supposedly it’s much better over here so I’m looking forward to enjoying one or two or three tonight. It means a lot.”

Sunday awaits as Rodgers’ third game on international soil. He led the Green Bay Packers out as the 32nd and final team to play in London when they were beaten by the New York Giants in October 2022, before last year representing the New York Jets at Tottenham as they were beaten by the Vikings.

This weekend’s matchup features as part of a record seven games to be held outside of the United States during the 2025 season, the league’s commitment to global expansion underlined once more on Friday when it announced plans to play three games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil across a five-year period beginning in 2026.

“To be part of the NFL now where there’s such a global reach, before it was really just the Super Bowl being seen in so many different countries, now we’re playing games in South America, in Mexico, in Canada, in Germany, in England, now here,” said Rodgers.

“I’m sure there’s expansions in France and Spain eventually, other countries. It’s fun to be a part of such an incredible sport and seeing the global reach that it has.”

Observations three games into a season call for caution, but already Rodgers appears more comfortable in the surroundings of Pittsburgh than during his disappointing two-year period with the Jets.

The mobility to escape pressure may have declined with age, but there remains the teasing flashes of Hall of Fame-bound arm talent.

He and head coach Tomlin spoke glowingly of their young time together thus far, the absence of any visible power struggle making for a healthier picture than had perhaps been anticipated upon Rodgers signing a one-year deal in the offseason.

“Some of the greatest coaches in all sports, there’s an element of being a players’ coach,” Rodgers told Sky Sports.

“That’s talked about a lot. But I think Mike really exemplifies what that means and that’s first and foremost, it doesn’t mean you’re buddies with everybody. I think great players’ coaches, they lead with accountability first, so they’re able to hold everybody accountable and that happens because of the relationships they have with the guys.

“So it starts with accountability and respect and it’s through the personal relationships that he’s able to get the most out of guys. So he is a players’ coach but he’s not a pushover by any means. Mike T. is the final gavel in any conversation. It’s been a pleasure working with him. He’s such a great human being.”

Rodgers endured a day to forget last year when he threw three interceptions as the Jets were beaten by the Vikings, with Sunday’s game billed as another fascinating duel between the Steelers quarterback and Minnesota’s prized defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

“He’s a great coach, but he’s not on the field playing,” Rodgers said Friday. “The Cat-and-Mouse game is really with the Harrison Smiths and the Byron Murphys and Isaiah Rodgers and their linebacker crew.

“And the great edge players they have, 58 (Jonathan Greenard), 43 (Andrew Van Ginkel), and 15 (Dallas Turner) are multidimensional players. They can drop on the coverage, rush the passer and get sacks and get in the passing lanes as well. So it’s where those guys are at and trying to be smart with the ball.”

Watch the Steelers face the Vikings at Dublin’s Croke Park live on Sky Sports NFL this Sunday, with coverage from 1.30pm ahead of kickoff at 2.30pm; Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.