While some analysts are panning Aaron Rodgers’ return to the Steelers, or at least the contract that’s coming with it, others are thrilled to see an encore performance and reunion with former head coach Mike McCarthy. Reacting to the weekend’s news of Rodgers agreeing to run it back in Pittsburgh, former NFL linebacker Manti Te’o thinks it’s the best thing for the Steelers’ offense.
“Awesome, awesome, awesome,” Te’o said of his initial reaction on Monday’s Good Morning Football. “You have to play them honest now. You have to play the Steelers honest.”
To Te’o, having Rodgers means the Steelers can run any play out of any personnel grouping. Had Will Howard started, defenses would’ve keyed in on taking away the run and making Howard win with his arm. Even knowing Rodgers spent so much of last season throwing short, it was partially in response to frequent two-high “shell” coverage that took away the deep ball. Despite being 42, Rodgers still has a live arm.
Adding wide receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard gives him two more targets.
“Defensively, I can’t just roll coverage anywhere I want to,” Te’o said. “I have to be able to look at these guys, diagnose the formation and see where the weaknesses are. And to be quite honest, I don’t know if you could look at this Pittsburgh offense and see a weakness.”
A little hyperbolic. Pittsburgh still has plenty to prove. Rodgers and the passing game must create more downfield plays. Pittman, an underneath receiver in Indianapolis the last several seasons, and Bernard, who isn’t a burner, might not solve that. Can the receivers beat man coverage? Can the offense be less YAC-reliant? Can the run game find more explosive plays? How do the offensive line pieces fit? All fair questions to ask.
Co-host Jahleel Addae shared Te’o’s excitement.
“When I [saw] this news break, I said, ‘Listen, these guys are contenders right away,'” he said, referring to the division.
Pittsburgh won the AFC North under Rodgers last year, its first division title since 2020. But the Steelers ended the season the same way with another bitter playoff loss. The roster might be improved, but the division could be tougher if quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow stay healthy after missing a combined 14 games last season.
“He knows the offense, he can get the guys going,” Addae said of Rodgers. “He can speak the language in the huddle. This is what they needed.”
Rodgers’ familiarity with Mike McCarthy’s system will accelerate the learning curve for everyone else brand new to it. Still, all that matters is the end result. Pittsburgh needs different results with the same aging quarterback, and that reality has most fans less enthralled than Te’o and Addae.
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