At the beginning of free agency, the Pittsburgh Steelers traded for DK Metcalf and subsequently signed him to a massive contract extension. Then, they looked to pair him with Aaron Rodgers, whom they’ve spent nearly the entire offseason waiting on. While it’s not official yet, it was finally reported Thursday that Rodgers plans to sign with Pittsburgh this week. With that in mind, Chris Simms thinks the Rodgers-Metcalf duo is one of the best new pairings in the league.
On Pro Football Talk Thursday, Simms listed Rodgers and Metcalf as his second-best new QB/WR duo.
“Aaron Rodgers can still throw that damn ball,” Simms said. “And at the end of the year last year, Aaron Rodgers was one of the more pleasant surprises in my quarterback rankings. Because I feel like Aaron Rodgers made a concerted effort to finally realize, ‘Wait, I can’t move anymore, I can’t run. I gotta hang in the pocket here.’ And he pushed the ball down the field. And thank God he did. That was a pleasant surprise, hopefully he does that in Pittsburgh with DK Metcalf.”
With Rodgers now set to be in the fold, there have been plenty of questions raised about whether he can still play. He’ll turn 42 during the 2025 season and does have an Achilles injury in the rearview mirror. With that in mind, questions about his ability are certainly fair.
The good news is that he seemed to get much more comfortable as the 2024 season went on. It typically takes older players longer to recover from injuries, and Rodgers looked stiff during the first half of the season. The Steelers got a close-up view of that during their Week 7 trouncing of the Jets.
However, with Metcalf, he’ll have a talented receiver to throw to. The two worked out together earlier this offseason, while Rodgers was still undecided about his future. Now, as he seems ready to sign before mandatory minicamp, Rodgers will have next week, as well as the rest of the summer, to get acclimated in Pittsburgh as he starts to get comfortable in the Steelers’ offense.
There are some questions on that side of the ball. The offensive line is young but does have promise. The running back room also looks different, with Kaleb Johnson filling the shoes Najee Harris left behind. At wide receiver, the Steelers have a bona fide No. 1 in Metcalf but questions about the rest of the group after George Pickens was traded.
With Rodgers now in the fold, though, the offense does seem to have an identity. As Simms remarks, he can still throw the ball well. At the very least, he’s got one of the best receivers in football to get the ball to in Metcalf. A good chunk of the Steelers’ 2025 fate revolves around this Rodgers-Metcalf pairing.
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