After watching Aaron Rodgers take the field during mandatory minicamp, Pittsburgh Steelers fans are starting to warm up to the idea of the 41-year-old being the man for the job in 2025 (as if they have a choice). But if you're concerned that Rodgers might not have anything left in the tank, one NFL analyst just put those worries to rest.
Former NFL offensive lineman and current Fox Sports analyst Mark Schlereth joined The Rich Eisen Show to discuss Rodgers. In addition to praising Rodgers' football knowledge, Schlereth talked about watching the long-time quarterback in December of the 2024 season and being enthralled by his arm talent compared to much younger NFL quarterbacks.
"Toward the end of the season, when I dug through the three games that I always watch as I'm prepping, you know, I'm breaking down the coaches film, three games. I was like, '[Expletive], Aaron [Rodgers] can play'," Schlereth told Rich Eisen. "And then I'm watching pre-game on Sunday morning, and pre-game, I'm watching him throw the football versus the way a bunch of 25-year-olds throw the football, and it's like varsity versus JV. Like, that dude can still rip it; I mean rip it."
Not only does Schlereth believe there's no issue when it comes to Rodgers' velocity and arm strength a this point in his career, but he also insists that the 41-year-old still has a whip attached to his right shoulder. Schlereth also noted the significant improvements from Rodgers late in the 2024 season once he was fully healthy.
"Once he started feeling decent and healthy toward the end of the season for the Jets last year, that dude started playing really good football.
Pittsburgh Steelers fans have more reason than ever to be optimistic about Aaron Rodgers
You don't have to like Aaron Rodgers to acknowledge that this NFL old-timer still has a rifle. The veteran put this on full display in June, and following the Pittsburgh Steelers' mandatory minicamp, I wrote how Rodgers still has something that his current teammates never did: elite arm talent.
The funny thing about arm talent is that there's no correlation between age, stature, or even hand size. Some big quarterbacks have pedestrian arms, while other QBs who don't look intimidating possess all the arm talent you could hope for. Rodgers still has a live arm with the velocity to make any NFL throw or drop the ball into a bucket down the field.
At 41 years old and less than two years removed from an Achilles injury, Rodgers certainly won't be the athlete he once was—a quarterback who could extend the play as well as any signal-caller in the league. But the arm looks just as good as ever... and that's something to get excited about.
The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't gotten so much as average quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger's final seasons. Aaron Rodgers still has an arm, and that's enough to inspire hope for the 2025 season.
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