Right now, you’d be hard-pressed to find much optimism for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025.
They have no starting quarterback who excites anyone, wide receiver is an issue once again, the offensive line is a work in progress with a lot of young pieces, and the defense remains to be seen after collapsing late in the season.
But the 33rd Team’s Steve Palazzolo and Sam Monson are optimistic about the Steelers, especially with a possible combination of head coach Mike Tomlin and 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers, should Rodgers sign with the Steelers.
In the latest episode of the “Check The Mic” podcast with Palazzolo and Monson, they both highlighted the Tomlin-Rodgers combination as the biggest reason for optimism with the Steelers.
“Aaron Rodgers is still out there. Aaron Rodgers is the most likely quarterback, I think, to be starting Week 1 for the Pittsburgh Steelers still, even though he is not on this roster. And Aaron Rodgers is still a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback who was actually playing better football than he was given credit for last season at his advanced age coming off an Achilles injury,” Monson said, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “I think it’s entirely plausible that Rodgers could play better in 2025 than he did in 2024, even though he is even older at this point in his career.”
Rodgers played well down the stretch for the Jets, though it was a lost season at that point. He finished with 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and performed quite well late in the season. In his final five games of the season, Rodgers had a passer rating of 98.3, threw for 1,270 yards, nine touchdowns and three interceptions. That included one game of 339 passing yards against the Miami Dolphins and then a four-touchdown game in Week 18 to close out his Jets tenure.
There’s some juice left in that Hall of Fame right arm. The question is whether the juice is worth the squeeze with Rodgers at this point?
The Steelers seem to believe so, especially in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense. Monson believes that in Smith’s scheme Rodgers could perform well while working under Tomlin’s guidance as the voice of the Steelers.
“I think that the load will be taken off his plate a little bit in this offense, should he sign with the Steelers. And I think there’s definitely a world where, where like efficient, play-action Rodgers, relying on the run game in a year removed from injury is actually a better version of Rodgers than a year ago,” Monson said. “And Mike Tomlin has already shown he doesn’t need elite quarterback play in order to win games, in order to have a winning season.
“Tomlin plus Rodgers, there’s no way it could go wrong.”
Tomlin’s teams in recent years have shown they don’t need great quarterback play to win games, being able to run the football, create turnovers defensively, and drag teams into the mud. It hasn’t worked in the playoffs, but time and time again in recent years, the Steelers have found ways to be competitive and get into the playoffs despite having issues at quarterback.
Rodgers, theoretically, would be an upgrade from what the Steelers have had in recent years, even at his current age.
Monson does seem to be mostly joking when he says “no way it could go wrong” but in Tomlin, Rodgers will have a head coach who is well-established within the organization, is highly respected around the league, and won’t need to bend to Rodgers’ whims, like he’s had in the past late in Green Bay or even in New York.
While his mobility has declined due to his age and the torn Achilles he suffered four snaps into the 2023 season, Rodgers remains a great processor and decision-maker and still throws a great deep ball. It’s a fit in the Steelers’ scheme, and should the offensive line take a step forward in 2025 and star receiver DK Metcalf delivers on the hype, the Steelers should be better offensively than they were in 2024.
There’s optimism there. It might be faint, but it’s there.
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