We are on the eve of the Pittsburgh Steelers starting voluntary OTAs, and we still don’t know for sure what will happen with QB Aaron Rodgers. Will he sign with the Steelers during OTAs? Before mandatory minicamp? Or will he decide to ride off into the sunset?
Well, former NFL OLB and current analyst Sam Acho thinks Rodgers will sign with the Steelers. But he doesn’t think Rodgers will make as big of an impact as the Steelers hope he will. Acho joined SportsCenter on ESPN on Monday and talked about teams in the AFC that could potentially miss the playoffs after making them in 2024. He chose between the Houston Texans, the Denver Broncos, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Steelers.
Acho tabbed the Steelers, and he thinks Rodgers will actually be a big part of why they won’t make the playoffs.
“I don’t think that he’s going to be the solution,” Acho said. “Yes, I do think that Aaron Rodgers will sign with the Steelers, but it will likely be after OTAs, after minicamp. He won’t get time to gel with his entire team… He’s thrown with DK Metcalf and maybe some other receivers. But it’s not just the receivers. It’s the offensive line, it’s the scheme, and it’s the team. And oh, by the way, Aaron Rodgers wasn’t overly outstanding as a player last year as well. If you’re expecting him to be your hero and your savior, I don’t think that he’s going to be the solution.”
Acho’s prediction is a far cry from Ben Roethlisberger’s recent schedule analysis. Big Ben predicted a four-game swing between having Rodgers and not. He sees the Steelers winning 11 games with him, seven without. Acho thinks the Steelers miss the playoffs with Rodgers. And it would be hard to imagine Acho would feel better about the Steelers without him.
But Acho does echo something else Roethlisberger said this offseason. Roethlisberger wants Aaron Rodgers to sign with the Steelers and make it to spring practices, both the voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp. He sees that time as valuable for getting on the same page with both his fellow players and the coaching staff.
If Rodgers indeed signs with the Steelers, he’ll be playing in a new scheme with new players. The longer he waits, the harder it will be for the offense to be a cohesive unit. But I don’t get the feeling that Acho’s estimation of how well Rodgers plays would change all that much if he did sign earlier.
And it’s hard to blame Acho. Sure, Aaron Rodgers wasn’t terrible with the New York Jets in 2024. He completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. But he certainly wasn’t a difference maker. In fact, he hasn’t been a big-time difference maker since 2021 with the Green Bay Packers.
Rodgers turns 42 in December. Can the Steelers really look toward Aaron Rodgers as a positive difference maker? It’s hard to answer that with a definitive yes. And if you can’t answer that with complete assurance, why are the Steelers pursuing him? The only potential long-term positive is if rookie QB Will Howard is able to soak up some great advice.
Now, Roethlisberger isn’t the only one who thinks the Steelers will be better off in 2025 with Rodgers at quarterback. Former QB and current analyst Chase Daniel thinks there is no chance the Steelers make the playoffs without Rodgers at quarterback. And perhaps that’s the same spot the Steelers are in. They can’t win a playoff game if they don’t make the playoffs. So, they must feel that Rodgers is their best chance of making the playoffs.
However, the likelihood that Aaron Rodgers is the playoff hero the Steelers and the team’s fans are looking for is slim. The chances that he delivers another Lombardi trophy to the city of Pittsburgh are even smaller.
The longer Rodgers waits to sign, the more those chances dwindle into nothingness.
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