Another Hall of Fame quarterback is sharing his thoughts on Aaron Rodgers. After Peyton Manning gave his opinion over the weekend, former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino was asked for his take on Rodgers’ future and potential fit with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Marino vouched for Rodgers with one key caveat.
“I still think Aaron has some game,” Marino told 93.7 The Fan’s Joe Starkey Tuesday morning. “He does. He can throw it as good as anybody that ever has thrown the football. If his mind’s into it and he’s ready to go and that works. I don’t think it would be an issue with the Steelers.
“But you gotta have someone that really wants to play there. And he’s getting older. So I don’t know what his mindset is. But he does still have talent.”
Getting past a nagging knee injury suffered early in 2024, Rodgers played better football down the stretch of the New York Jets’ season and showed he’s still capable of playing at a starter-caliber level. Over his final seven games, he completed 64 percent of his passes with 13 touchdowns and just four interceptions. Though the Jets won just two of those games, the offense scored a respectable 23 points per game.
But as Marino notes and understands as a former quarterback himself, Rodgers has to be committed to make a 2025 season with Pittsburgh work. Set to skip the second week of Steelers OTAs, many have questioned if Rodgers’ heart is into playing football. He’s someone not defined solely by playing the game with interests outside of football.
In his April interview dedicated to discussing his future, Rodgers admitted he was unsure of desire to keep playing and floated retirement as a “possibility.” Few quarterbacks play into their age-41 season and Rodgers will turn 42 by the end of it. The past two years of his career have been the most difficult. A torn Achilles in 2023, a five-win season in 2024. Marino can relate. Though much younger when it happened, he tore his Achilles five games into the 1993 season but returned for 1994, making the Pro Bowl. He played through his age-38 season, struggling and winning only five games as Rodgers did this past year with the Jets.
“After playing the game of football for most of my life, this was an extremely difficult decision,” Marino said in his retirement speech. “But I know that I have made the right decision for me and my family. I’m very proud of the success that we have had as a team for 17 years as well as all my individual.”
He would later consider offers from several teams, including the Steelers and most seriously the Minnesota Vikings, but cited concerns over his legs that prevented him from continuing his career. Like Ben Roethlisberger and so many other quarterbacks, it’s the legs that go first. Not the arm.
Ultimately, Rodgers has to decide if and when he’s ready to jump all-in. Clearly, that time isn’t now. The question is when – and if – it’ll happen. And if he can stay committed throughout an entire season, especially if it doesn’t go the way he and the Steelers hope.
Recommended for you