The Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to terms with QB Aaron Rodgers, and while [there have been mixed reactions](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/06/chris-canty-thinks-aaron-rodgers-signing-could-lead-to-mike-tomlin-firing/) as to whether or not he will be an upgrade for the Steelers, former Jets and Ravens LB Bart Scott thinks they stand to improve with Rodgers. [Scott said on ESPN’s Get Up](https://www.espn.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=22943353) that the Steelers have a chance to beat “elite” teams with Rodgers under center.
“This isn’t the Jets. This is a team that knows how to win, that has a proud tradition, that can go to the playoffs with Mason Rudolph as the quarterback. You add Aaron Rodgers. It gives you a chance when you go against elite guys, he doesn’t have to be the great Aaron Rodgers, the four-time MVP. All he has to do is be able to throw the ball and make plays at certain times.
While Rodgers isn’t that same player who was a four-time MVP, he’s an upgrade over what the Steelers have had at quarterback post-Ben Roethlisberger. As Scott said, this is a team that managed to make the playoffs with Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph starting games in 2023. Rodgers should certainly be an improvement over that and what the Steelers got from Russell Wilson down the stretch last season.
He’s not an elite quarterback at this point in his career, but the Steelers have proven they don’t need an elite quarterback to be competitive. While they may eventually need someone better to take them to Super Bowl heights, this is a team that’s trying to win now and do what it can to fight in the playoffs. Rodgers at least gives them upside as a team that can win in the playoffs, and if the receiving corps and run game can take another step, the Steelers could certainly surprise in 2025.
He’ll also be going from one of the most dysfunctional organizations in football with the Jets to a functional one with the Steelers. Pittsburgh’s stability and leadership structure won’t allow Aaron Rodgers to have too much power. That stability with a team that knows how to operate and be a winning franchise should be beneficial, and it’s a group that clearly felt comfortable taking a chance on Rodgers to try and get the team over the hump in 2025.
It’s not a move that instantly elevates the Steelers to one of the best teams in the league, but it does make them better and a team that can be more competitive, and that’s what they were looking for.