Former Browns Coach Makes Brutal Steelers Prediction

A former Cleveland Browns head coach isn't confident that Aaron Rodgers and Arthur Smith will work well together with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

While appearing on FS1's "Breakfast Ball", Eric Mangini stated that he believes there will be a ton of friction between Pittsburgh's new quarterback and its offensive coordinator as the team looks to snap a nearly decade-long streak without a playoff win.

"There's gonna be a lot of friction, I think, between those two guys throughout the course of the season," he said.

There were some rumors that Rodgers had feuds with two of his Green Bay Packers head coaches in Mike McCarthy and Matt LaFleur, though they were largely unfounded.

The 41-year-old's tenure with the New York Jets over the past two years wasn't smooth-sailing as well, which only added fuel to the fire in terms of the narrative that Rodgers typically doesn't mesh well with his coaching staffs.

Smith reportedly had an uneven working relationship with Russell Wilson last season, which included the former being incensed at the latter changing plays at the line of scrimmage, which is where some of the concern about his connection with Rodgers comes from.

Mangini added that he thinks Smith has to tailor his offense around Rodgers in order for the unit to reach its full potential while not forcing the system onto the four-time MVP.

"One of the things that I'm struggling with Arthur Smith is, are they gonna do what Aaron Rodgers does best," he said. "And to me the only way that this works and makes sense is if you lean into what he does best. And not try to force your system on him."

Rodgers and Smith have certainly appeared cordial and excited to work with one another thus far, so there's little reason to believe that any issues will pop up down the road at this point in time.

Both parties understand that the Steelers are under added pressure to break through and find success in the playoffs this season, which perhaps is all the incentive they need to foster a healthy relationship.