The Pittsburgh Steelers hope Aaron Rodgers is their savior for the 2025 season. After that, most expect the Steelers to aim for a quarterback during next year’s draft, somebody they can build around for the future. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith is not one of those people. Not only does he believe in Rodgers, but he thinks the four-time NFL MVP could spend more than just the 2025 season in Pittsburgh.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am sick of the hatorade that has been thrown on Aaron Rodgers,” Smith said Thursday on First Take. “I think people are ultra-critical of him. It wasn’t great [with the Jets], we understand that. They talk about, with the Achilles, that is takes you a couple years [to recover]. So I expect him to be better. I believe in Aaron Rodgers. And I don’t believe this is gonna be his only year in Pittsburgh.”
Smith has had many different opinions regarding the Steelers over the course of the offseason. He does seem to be happy with the Aaron Rodgers move, though. And he does have a good point about his Achilles injury. At the start of the 2024 season, just a year removed from the injury, Rodgers admittedly did not look good. However, that’s one of the toughest injuries to come back from, and Rodgers is not in his prime anymore. Given how much better he looked at the end of last year, he very well could improve on that in 2025.
Perhaps the most interesting part of his statement comes at the end, though. Smith doesn’t expect 2025 to be Rodgers’ only year with the Steelers. Given that Rodgers will turn 42 this year, he’s already considered retirement, and he signed a one-year deal, most have understandably assumed Rodgers will only be a Steeler for the 2025 season. But is there a world where he stays even longer?
For a person like Aaron Rodgers, who’s been playing football all his life, making the decision to retire is hard to do. If he doesn’t play well this year, that decision might be made for him. However, if he does play well, could the Steelers consider keeping him around?
It seems like the franchise is putting all its cards on the 2026 draft to find a quarterback. If Rodgers plays well, the Steelers likely won’t have a high pick, but will have ammunition to trade up. In that case, drafting a QB and having him learn from Rodgers wouldn’t be a bad idea.
It feels weird to think about a 43-year old Aaron Rodgers starting games at the end of the 2026 season. But if Rodgers, say, wins a playoff game this season without showing any sure signs of declining, it might be hard for the Steelers not to bring him back.
Even if they do, a young quarterback, or even Will Howard, could sit and learn under him for the 2026 season, and take over if his decline starts then. Obviously, a lot has to go right for this conversation to even happen at the end of the year. It’s interesting to think about the possibilities, though.
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