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First Call: Aaron Rodgers definitively shoots down one rumor; former Steeler becomes high school coach | TribLIVE.com
Steelers/NFL

First Call: Aaron Rodgers definitively shoots down one rumor; former Steeler becomes high school coach

Tim Benz
Tim Benz

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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers answers questions during a news conference after playing against the Seattle Seahawks in an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in East Rutherford, N.J.

Monday’s “First Call” gives us information on the Aaron Rodgers front. One former Steeler is lighting up the UFL. Another is getting noticed in Canada, and a third is trying his hand at coaching.

The Pirates are heading to Arizona. And we have some news about Pitt football recruiting.

No games played

Presumptive Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was making everyone play guessing games about his playing future over the holiday weekend. He was doing a fan Q&A in Austin on stage with musician “Mike Stud.”

One young fan asked the veteran QB if he would ever want to play with the Chicago Bears. Rodgers replied, “No. But I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year. Road trip. I don’t know. Better check it out.”

The Steelers play in Chicago in Week 13. But the Saints play there, too, on Oct. 19.

New Orleans has been another rumored destination for Rodgers. However, Rodgers put to rest any conversation about him wanting to head to the Crescent City during that same appearance.

“No,” Rodgers said when posed with the idea. “I’ve played there a couple of times. But, no. I’m too old. I don’t want to live in Louisiana. Sorry.”

All that interaction does is further establish that it appears Rodgers is in Steelers-or-bust mode. But there is still no further clue as to when he may be signing to officially begin his Steelers career.

Coaching path

Jarvis Jones never had much luck as an NFL player. The former linebacker with the Steelers managed just six sacks in four years despite being the team’s first-round pick in 2013.

The Georgia product wasn’t retained after the 2016 season. He went to Arizona that offseason, but never played, reaching an injury settlement with the Arizona Cardinals in September of 2017.

Now retired, Jones is taking up coaching. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jones is going to be the head coach at Carver-Columbus high school in Georgia. That’s the 35-year-old’s his alma mater.

Jones played on Carver’s 2007 Class 3A championship team and became an All-American linebacker at UGA. The school won a 2A championship last year.

He’ll replace head coach Pierre Coffey who went 33-8 at the school. He left to become a principal in a different district.

Tyler time

Last week, former Steeler Tyler Vaughns made a spectacular touchdown catch in the UFL for the Arlington Renegades.

On Saturday, he turned in another eye-popping highlight against Memphis.

Vaughns had eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown Saturday afternoon as the Renegades won 30-12. They are now 4-5 on the year. Vaughns has 451 receiving yards, good for third in the UFL. His 38 catches are fourth, and his four touchdowns are tied for fourth.

In that category, Vaughns is tied with another former Steeler, Hakeem Butler. Deon Cain, a Steeler from 2109-20, leads the UFL with six TDs. Vaughns was with the Steelers practice squad in 2021 and a part of the team during the 2022 offseason before being released Aug. 30.

Another former Steelers, Jaylen Samuels, had a touchdown run for the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday in Canadian Football League Action.

That was a preseason game that Ottawa won over Montreal, 23-7. Samuels had 26 rushing yards on the day.

Related:

• Madden Monday on Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh: 'It just can't work'
• Tim Benz: Aaron Rodgers situation is now more about saving face for Steelers than it is the football calendar
• Mark Madden's Hot Take: Steelers-Jets will be a proving ground, set tone for season

Right time to visit

The Pirates are heading out west to play the Arizona Diamondbacks to start the week. They’ll be in Phoenix on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Pirates managed to stop their bleeding to a certain extent during their recent homestand, winning a series against the Cincinnati Reds and splitting a four-game set with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Now they visit the D’Backs, who have lost five games in a row. They dropped two of three against the Los Angeles Dodgers and then three in a row in St. Louis. Sunday, the Snakes lost 4-3 after building a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

Victor Scott II had the game-winning RBI for the Cards in the seventh.

At 26-27, the Diamondbacks are in fourth place in the five-team National League West, 6.5 games back of the first-place Los Angeles Dodgers.

Arizona is about as down the middle as it gets. The Diamondbacks are 13-13 at home. They are 13-14 on the road. They have a plus-1 run differential.

The D’Backs can certainly score. With 267 runs, they are tied for fifth in Major League Baseball with the Red Sox. The pitching staff is suspect, though, with a team ERA of 4.67 (24th in MLB).

Right fielder Corbin Carroll has 15 home runs, tied for fifth in MLB. Third baseman Eugenio Suarez has 40 RBIs, seventh-most in baseball.

In the running

Pitt is still in the mix for a potential star recruit from just down the road.

Central Catholic’s Colsen Gatten is a hot commodity in the 2026 recruiting class. He holds 25 D-1 offers. The Panthers are one of those programs.

According to Pittsburgh Sports Now, the linebacker has Pitt in his top-5 schools, along with Oklahoma, Duke, Indiana and West Virginia. Penn State is also believed to have made an offer.

The website reports that Ryan Manlac, Pitt’s linebackers coach, made an in-home visit last week.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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