What can Steelers fans expect if Aaron Rodgers is their next starting quarterback?

The title to this article feels like a loaded question. What can we expect? Dark retreats? Passive-aggressive media appearances? Bad body language directed towards his teammates? Fans of the New York Jets experienced all of that last season, and many were happy when Rodgers and the Jets parted ways.

Rodgers did play some decent football for a bad Jets team, however. So, for simplicity’s sake, let’s confine our answer to the on-field performance of the man who’s looking more and more like Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback next season.

Why does Aaron Rodgers look more and more like that man? Start with the comments from Art Rooney II at last weekend’s owner’s meetings that things with Rodgers are progressing in an encouraging direction. Rodgers visited Pittsburgh last week, met with coaches, and watched film with coordinator Arthur Smith. None of that is insignificant.

Then there was Rodgers getting together with DK Metcalf for a throwing session on the UCLA campus. Maybe it was just two guys having a catch in the California sun. But I doubt it.

New @Steelers WR DK Metcalf and free agent QB Aaron Rodgers getting in some reps over the weekend in LA 👀pic.twitter.com/NVbngpcv6C

— The Fantasy Source (@FantasySource_) March 31, 2025

There’s also this: both Rodgers and the Steelers are running out of options for 2025. Any marriage between the two may be a factor of necessity at this point as much as choice.

No deal is yet in place. But it feels like a matter of time.

If such a deal gets done, Rodgers will immediately upgrade the team’s expectations at the position. He is better than Mason Rudolph, who currently occupies the top spot on the depth chart. And he’s better than both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, who were last season’s starters. How much better remains to be seen, but from a purely football perspective, Rodgers would be an upgrade.

Statistically, Fields and Wilson combined last season to complete 320 of 497 passes (64.3%) for 3,588 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions. They also added 444 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Rodgers, who started all 17 games for the Jets, was 368-of-584 (63.0%) for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He added 107 rushing yards. The statistics are fairly similar, but they don’t tell a complete story.

Rodgers threw the ball 87 more times than Fields and Wilson, which is not surprising considering Arthur Smith’s run-first mentality. But, while Rodgers was sacked 40 times, Fields and Wilson were dropped 49 times. That’s a far lower sack percentage for Rodgers, despite the fact his offensive line rated beneath Pittsburgh’s as a pass-block unit. What does this tell us? That Rodgers processes information faster, and gets the ball out faster as a result.

The number of interceptions Rodgers threw could be cause for concern. Fields and Wilson threw just six, compared to 11 for Rodgers. However, given Rodgers’ number of attempts, his interception percentage was not significantly higher than that of Fields and Wilson. Fields and Wilson had low interception numbers in part because Smith’s conservative approach all but eliminated throws to the middle of the field. Rodgers likes to attack that area, and while he threw some interceptions there, he made big plays as well. It’s a risk-reward proposition. The Steelers could stand to take a few more risks, considering they’ve treated the middle of the field like shark-infested waters the past few seasons.

Rodgers does not present the running threat that Wilson and Fields, in particular, did. But as you’ll see in my video breakdown below, he’s excellent in the bootleg passing game. Even at 41 years old, he still does a great job with his legs of creating space and making plays out of the pocket. Rodgers won’t run the ball much, but his penchant for extending plays will stress the defense in a different manner.

The biggest area where Rodgers offers an upgrade on what we’ve seen from recent Pittsburgh quarterbacks is in the sheer volume of throws he’s capable of making. Fields and Wilson both threw good deep balls. Beyond that, their repertoire consisted of quick throws and checkdowns. Rodgers can make the intermediate throws neither could get to, and his ability to read a defense and get through his progressions quickly is far superior. Rodgers no longer has the cannon of an arm he once did that allowed him to drop balls into a bucket sixty yards down the field. But his accuracy remains excellent.

The biggest holes I see in Rodgers’ game at this stage of his career are the loss of some juice in his arm, his limited threat as a runner and a bit of hubris. Once in a while, you’ll see Rodgers try to jam in a throw he was capable of making seven or eight years ago, but no longer. If the Steelers can steer him away from those types of plays, and allow him to play to his strengths in other areas, they’ll be better at the quarterback position than they’ve been since the back end of Ben Roethlisberger’s prime.

For a look at Rodgers in action last season, check out the breakdown I did in the Twitter post below. If you didn’t watch much of him, you may be pleasantly surprised.

It’s looking more and more as though Aaron Rodgers will quarterback the Steelers in 2025. The question is, how well can he still play the position? I dove into the film from his Week 18 game last season against Miami to see for myself.

Here’s what I found:@FFSNSteelCity pic.twitter.com/nMUzDVUyqR

— Kevin Smith (@KTSmithFFSN) April 2, 2025

For more of my work, follow me on X @KTSmithFFSN, and tune in to my podcast “The Call Sheet,” which runs Monday-Friday at 10 AM on all major platforms.