Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. He’s a four-time MVP, Super Bowl champion, and future inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. However, his career isn’t over yet. He’s returning for one more season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, saying he plans to retire at the end of the season. As a result, Rich Eisen picked Rodgers as the quarterback under the most pressure this season.
“Number one on this list is Aaron Rodgers,” Eisen said Thursday on his show. “Will he feel it? I don’t know. Does it matter to him? I think it does. Is his legacy already cemented? I think it is. But will he play another year? He already says he’s not. You want to win one more? You’ve got one last chance to do it.”
Few legendary quarterbacks have ended their careers on high notes. Most of them stick around too long. Tom Brady had a fine final season, but he looked like he was losing a step. His team went 8-9 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Joe Montana went 9-5 in 14 games with the Kansas City Chiefs. He only threw for 3,283 yards, 16 touchdown passes, and nine interceptions and failed to win a playoff game.
Peyton Manning is probably the best example for Rodgers to follow. While Manning was nowhere near the player he once was, he was proficient enough to win a Super Bowl. It’s hard to top that for a final season.
Can Rodgers do that, though? It’s hard to say, but most people don’t see the Steelers as Super Bowl contenders. They have plenty of star power, but that frequently didn’t translate to the field last year.
However, perhaps Pittsburgh’s new coaching staff can change that. Rodgers is reuniting with Mike McCarthy, who was his head coach with the Green Bay Packers for over a decade. It would be tough to write a better ending for Rodgers’ career than winning another Super Bowl with McCarthy.
But if Rodgers doesn’t win the Super Bowl, does that mean he crumbled under the pressure? That might not necessarily be true. His final season could be successful if he wins a playoff game. The Steelers haven’t done that since the 2016 season. It wouldn’t exactly be riding off into the sunset, but it would be better than many other great quarterbacks’ final seasons.
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