Aaron Rodgers: Risk vs. Reward
Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh? It still sounds weird, but here we are. At the time of writing, the Steelers are playing the waiting game with Rodgers, and honestly, I get it. I may not completely agree with it, but I understand why they’re doing it.
Let’s be real—Rodgers isn’t the same guy who beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV or collected MVPs in Green Bay. At this stage of his career, if he plays well by his standards, he’s probably a middle-of-the-pack quarterback with flashes of elite play. And you know what? That’s fine. Even at that level, this Steelers offense should be much better than it was last season.
In 2023, Pittsburgh finished 28th in scoring offense. Not great. In 2024, under new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, they climbed to 20th—not great, but better. Now, add DK Metcalf into the mix. Throw in a potential difference-maker at running back from the draft. Suddenly, this offense could be… above average? Or dare I say, good? That might not sound exciting, but given how this team is built, that’s really all they need.
The Steelers’ defense is usually solid. They don’t need an elite offense to win games—they just need one that’s efficient and steps up in key moments. Rodgers, even at this stage, can still provide that. He’ll be another year removed from the torn Achilles that ended his 2023 season after just four plays. Early in 2024, he didn’t look like the Rodgers we’re used to—understandably so. It’s probably safe to say he’ll never be that player again. But as the season went on, he started looking better and better. If that trend continues, I’d bet the 2025 version of Rodgers will resemble the player we saw in the second half of 2024 rather than the one from the first half.
I’m not saying this is the right move. I’m not even fully advocating for it. But I get it. Rodgers gives this team a better shot to be competitive than any other quarterback realistically available. And who knows? Maybe there’s some kind of handshake agreement between him and the Steelers that we don’t even know about.
At the end of the day, this move is a gamble—but it just might be a calculated one. And if it works, Pittsburgh could be a real threat in the AFC. Or it could completely blow up in their face, and the Steelers will look like fools… yet still somehow finish just above .500. Because that’s just what they do.
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Screw this guy, he’s held every team he’s dealt with hostage until he has his ego stroked enough to make a decision. What are we doing??? Think about this, the Steelers are trying to get assurance from a QB way past his prime that he’ll be “committed to the process”. Are you serious?? I’d rather go into the season with 30M of cap than sign this guy.
I think we have to assume, with the cast of characters we’ve already got on the roster (e.g. Pickens and Metcalf), that the upcoming season is probably going to be a rerun of the antics we previously experienced when AB and Le’Veon Bell were playing.
But the Steelers obviously seem bent on competing right away, rather than recognizing the likelihood that this season probably will be a building period. Rodgers is definitely a goofball, but he’s still a very talented quarterback. If Tomlin and company intend to get anywhere near the playoffs this year, Rodgers looks like he might be their best bet. That being said, I agree he’s a total flake and hardly the ideal solution. But the Steelers have blundered their way into a bad situation, which is the only reason why they might need Rodgers now.
I don’t think his arm is as good as it was, and I think that’s a big part of why he threw a higher amount of picks than usual last season.
To knee jerk sign Rodgers to a 90M contract because plan A (plan only?) didn’t work out, only makes a mistep a much bigger more expensive misstep. He is a square peg in a round hole in this offense.
They are not offering him 90 mil, no one is.
That’s what he wants.
Even though I’m skeptical about bringing in Rodgers, he’s still a very good quarterback with probably a couple more productive years left in the tank. His arm looks just as good and accurate as ever, he’s still pretty mobile and his game management skills are far better than Russell Wilson’s or most of the other NFL quarterbacks. So if that’s what it comes down to, I think Rodgers probably would give the Steelers the best chance to be competitive in the short term — which is all they appear to be concerned with now.
Chris, you wrote,
“Throw in a potential difference-maker at running back from the draft.”
What round are we drafting this difference maker? Because the way it looks right now the DL needs to be addressed in round 1 and round 3.
Yeah, I found that a little bit odd too. Really, there are only a couple of true difference making running backs in all of the NFL. There is no reason to think that the Steelers will successfully draft one.
While I can appreciate that the Steelers’ offense was “better” in 2024 than it was in 2023, a single ranking point really doesn’t tell the whole story. The only marker that the Steelers were markedly better at in 2024 was “points for” and a lot of that can be attributed to the craft righty foot of Chris Boswell. TDs per game, yards per game, time of possession, and a host of other indices were up slightly in 2024 but still very much in line with 2023.
Would Aaron Rogers improve things further? I suppose so. Would he be a lot better than say a Mason Rudolph? That’s debatable. While Rogers is likely superior, the Steelers’ offense is too conservative for it to matter.
Roll with Rudy, 2025.