It took them longer than many anticipated to even get him on the roster, but now that Aaron Rodgers is the starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team is in a good spot entering the 2025 season with the future first-ballot Hall of Famer under center.
Knowing that, the Steelers are “downright giddy” to have the four-time NFL MVP as the signal caller, giving them a quarterback that can help them compete this season, while still allowing them to have an eye on the future in the process, too.
At least, that’s how ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is seeing it.
During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up Monday morning, Fowler reported the Steelers are “downright giddy” to have Rodgers and believe they have a quarterback that can help elevate them for the 2025 season, all without having to sacrifice the position for the 2026 NFL Draft, which looks like a very strong QB class.
“This bridge behind me encapsulates the Steelers last four years of quarterback. They are downright giddy just to have a viable option right now. The fact that they have somebody who can work the line of scrimmage, who can make the throws, they feel like despite a little bit of mobility issues that he still has the goods,” Fowler said of the Steelers and Rodgers, according to video via ESPN. “Coaches I’ve talked to run the league believe that Rodgers was actually very good last year and he’ll be even better in Year Two coming off the Achilles tear.
“And meanwhile, the Steelers are gonna try to hit the 2026 draft really hard. That’s a loaded quarterback class. So Rodgers simply buys them a year. They can get their guy the future next year.”
It’s been an up-and-down last four years for the Steelers at quarterback following the retirement of Ben Roethliberger after the 2021 season. Names like Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson have all started games for the franchise since Roethlisberger called it a career.
None of them were able to have sustained success and grab hold of the starting job. Though Rudolph returned in free agency this offseason after one year in Tennessee, the Steelers had eyes for Rodgers throughout the offseason, waiting for him to make a decision.
In the end, Rodgers obviously picked the Steelers and now that he’s another year removed from his Achilles injury, excitement is high regarding what Rodgers could do under center for the Steelers in 2025 under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth offensively.
Though he’s not the Rodgers of his prime, he showed last season he can still throw the football quite well and closed the season strong, lighting up some defenses down the stretch while taking care of the football. In Pittsburgh, he doesn’t have the caliber of weapons he had in New York, but DK Metcalf is a big, physical receiver that Rodgers has raved about this offseason, while Pat Freiermuth might be the best pass-catching tight end Rodgers has played with in the 5-6 years, dating back to Jimmy Graham in Green Bay in 2019.
The offensive line should be improved, and Pittsburgh will have a consistent run game led by rookie Kaleb Johnson, too. Things set up nicely for Rodgers, who can just come in and focus on playing football — something coaches believe he can still do at a respectable level at this point his career.
He reads the field well pre- and post-snap, knows how to get his offenses into the right plays at the line of scrimmage based on looks, and can consistently identify and attack the weaknesses defensively, which sets him apart from quarterbacks the Steelers have had in the past.
The Steelers should be downright giddy, at least for the 2025 season, which will likely be Rodgers’ last. After that, all the attention shifts to the 2026 NFL Draft, where the Steelers have a plethora of draft picks and are poised to make a splash. It’s a win-win situation for the Steelers, who should compete for a playoff spot this season while still being in a great position to get that quarterback of the future next April.
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