Former NFL QB Alex Smith weighs in on the Aaron Rodgers situation
Alex Smith explains why Aaron Rodgers should return for at least one more year.
Sports Seriously
The NFL world waited nearly three months for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision about where he would play during the 2025 season. They finally got their answer on June 5.
Rodgers is set to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The 41-year-old will join Mike Tomlin’s team in the hopes of leading it to its first postseason win since 2016.
Rodgers’ deal is expected to be a one-year pact, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed, but NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports Rodgers “told teams that he’ll play for $20 million” during the upcoming season.
How does Rodgers fit with the Steelers? Below is a breakdown of his fit with the team and a grade for Pittsburgh’s decision to sign the four-time NFL MVP.
Grading the Aaron Rodgers signing
The Steelers have been looking for a franchise quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement following the 2021 NFL season. Rodgers should be able to fill that void, even if its only on a short-term basis.
At 41 years old, Rodgers probably has just a couple of years left in his career at most. Even so, he is playing at a high enough level for the Steelers to justify him as an upgrade over the duo of Russell Wilson and Justin Fields that got them to the playoffs last season.
Rodgers posted just a 5-12 record in 17 starts for the New York Jets last season, but he tallied solid numbers across those games. He completed 63% of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions and looked particularly strong during the second half of the season. He posted a passer rating of 97 over his final 10 starts and looked more comfortable as he got further removed from the torn Achilles he suffered at the beginning of the 2023 NFL season.
If Rodgers can continue to get healthier and show the form he had in the second half of the 2024 campaign, that could provide the Steelers with a boost. Either way, the combination of arm talent and downfield accuracy he has demonstrated throughout his career should allow the Steelers to take advantage of DK Metcalf‘s downfield playmaking abilities.
Rodgers’ presence should go a long way toward improving Pittsburgh’s offense, which ranked just 21st in expected points added (EPA) last season. The Steelers’ 10th-ranked defense helped carry them to a second consecutive playoff berth, but their offense will need to improve to win the team its first playoff game since 2016.
Helping Rodgers’ fit in Pittsburgh is the presence of Mike Tomlin. He has experience managing mercurial stars like Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, so the NFL’s longest-tenured coach should be able to create a strong enough working relationship with Rodgers to make this work.
Perhaps Rodgers won’t ever return to his four-time NFL MVP form, but the Steelers had to try something to get over the hump. As such, it’s hard to blame them for taking a shot on the future Hall of Famer.
Grade: A-
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