Some people scoffed at the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ decision to sign 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers during the offseason after Rodgers took his sweet time deciding what he would do for the 2025 NFL season. The critics said that he was washed up and that he wouldn’t perform that well, let alone lift the Steelers above the baseline level of adequacy they have been stuck at for years.
The Steelers have certainly had their issues this season. Despite plenty of talent on the defensive side of the football, they have been weak in that department, and they entered Week 10 ranked 31st in first downs allowed and last in passing yards given up. They have also been underwhelming offensively, but while Rodgers isn’t the same player he was just four years ago, he hasn’t been much of a problem for them.
Through eight games, he has thrown for 1,692 yards and 17 touchdowns while completing 68.7% of his passing attempts. He has guided Pittsburgh to a 5-3 record, and ironically, the team has succeeded partly by not relying on the future Hall of Famer, as Mike DeFabo of The Athletic pointed out.
“The Steelers have also limited Rodgers' exposure, to a degree, by featuring a balanced offense after he attempted the second-most passes in the league last year (584),” DeFabo wrote. “Rodgers is averaging a career-low 33 dropbacks per game and career-low 30.4 pass attempts per game; that puts him on pace for about 70 fewer pass attempts this season. Rather than putting it all on Rodgers to be the entire offense, the Steelers are simply asking their quarterback to be an effective pocket passer to elevate the playmakers around him.”
The journalist speculated that this “less is more” approach could result in Rodgers wanting to stick around for one more year and the Steelers saying yes.
“If the Steelers can capitalize on their early lead in the division and make some noise in the playoffs, perhaps Rodgers will be interested in seeing if he can push the team over the top in 2026. But if they fall apart down the stretch, miss the playoffs or have another early exit, Rodgers may be content to call it a career.”
As DeFabo pointed out, Rodgers’ numbers are somewhat better this year than they were last year with the New York Jets, and one reason is his somewhat improved mobility. The four-time MVP is throwing while on the run a little more than he did in 2024, and he has been taking snaps under center more often than he has since 2021, rather than lining up in the shotgun formation.
However, one has to question why it would be worth it for Rodgers to play another season in the NFL. The Steelers’ ground game is weak, and their only real threat at the skill positions right now is wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. Perhaps they will need to surround Rodgers with a workhorse running back, as well as another playmaker at the wideout position who is adept at picking up yards after the catch, especially after short receptions.
Rodgers signed with Pittsburgh during the offseason for one year and $13.65 million after hoping the Minnesota Vikings would have interest in him. If he wants to stick around for the 2026 season, one has to wonder if he will look to switch teams yet again.
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