The Pittsburgh Steelers made a surprising decision this offseason when they signed Aaron Rodgers. Many people doubted that Rodgers, at 41 years old, would be able to continue to play at a decent level. While he was proving that narrative wrong, Week 10 saw Rodgers’ level of play seriously decline in a 25-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Not only was it his worst game with the Steelers, but it was also one of the worst games of his storied career. Former NFL running back LeSean McCoy thinks that game is a sign that Rodgers’ career needs to come to an end soon.
“It’s time,” McCoy said on his Speakeasy podcast. “I’ve been saying the last couple of weeks, I love Aaron Rodgers and I don’t want to say anything bad about him, but it is time to hang it up. He doesn’t look comfortable. He doesn’t look confident. He looks nervous in there. I get it, he’s 41 years old, he doesn’t want to get hit. It’s time to let it go.
“There’s some times in the pocket where he could sit in there for an extra second just to get that guy open to throw it, and he doesn’t want to stay in there. I think it’s better for Aaron Rodgers, please let this be the last year… He’s playing scared. The way he’s playing, they can’t win like that.”
Rodgers considered retiring this past offseason. He’s also strongly hinted that this could be his final NFL season, although he hasn’t committed to that yet.
McCoy is correct that Rodgers didn’t look comfortable against the Chargers. He got sacked three times and hit even more, but not all of that was due to his offensive line. Rodgers had happy feet in the pocket. It’s unclear what the reason for that was, but it was a big factor in his poor play. Rodgers missed several big throws and made some costly mistakes.
Rodgers stated that he came back this season because he felt like he had more to give to the game. He’s a competitor, and he took the blame for his struggles Sunday night. Yes, he was very bad against the Chargers, but that might only motivate him more.
Also, that was one game out of nine this season. Rodgers had mostly been good before Week 10. His performance is concerning, but it’s important not to overreact.
We’ll see how Rodgers bounces back from this performance. Is one bad game going to force him into retirement? No. He’ll suit up next week, and hopefully he plays better. If the issues he had against the Chargers persist, though, then perhaps concerns about Rodgers should grow.
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