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Some NFL careers conclude with adulation and a clear understanding of what a given player meant to the league, as well as the teams he played for. Others conclude with more questions than answers.
In what could be his final season, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will have a chance to amend his legacy. While he has done more than enough to stake his claim as one of the best regular-season quarterbacks in NFL history, his larger footprint is mostly up for debate given his rocky departure from the Green Bay Packers and underwhelming tenure with the New York Jets.
Concerns regarding his playoff track record, ability to guide a team at his advanced age, and willingness to be a bona fide leader all make Rodgers the Steeler who is under the most pressure ahead of the 2025 season.
Aaron Rodgers Under the Gun
“I just want to be a servant leader here, and just pass on the knowledge that I have from 20 years of experience,” Rodgers told Yahoo Sports. “Just try and fit in with the guys, get to know them, let them get to know me. And just enjoy the process of it.”
Rodgers’ results may also impact Pittsburgh from an organizational standpoint. While the franchise has been largely stable under head coach Mike Tomlin, they have not won a Super Bowl since the 2008 season and seems to struggle once the calendar turns to January.
Last season’s 28-14 Wild Card weekend loss to the Baltimore Ravens saw Pittsburgh’s defense struggle to contain running back Derrick Henry. Furthermore, the offense could not recover once they fell behind 21-0 in the second quarter.
Many fans and pundits have since wondered if Pittsburgh is “a quarterback away” from being a title contender. Justin Fields and Russell Wilson were serviceable at the position last year. But, in theory, a healthy and devoted Rodgers could place them in a more advantageous playoff position this season.
Rodgers to Boost the Steelers Offense
The 2024 Steelers were eighth in points against and sixth in rushing yards allowed. The secondary was inconsistent, but the defensive unit was one of the team’s stronger components as a whole. By contrast, Pittsburgh’s offense was 23rd in total yards and 16th in points.
“Read his resume,” Tomlin said of Rodgers from training camp. “We're excited about him being here. He's excited about being here. We'll make no bold predictions. We're just going to roll our sleeves up and go to work and let our efforts do the talking.”
While playoff wins and losses are not solely quarterback stats, it is a hard topic to evade when comparing Rodgers’ resume to those of other signal callers such as Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. The four-time MVP holds a 12-10 postseason record and has gone 2-4 in his last six playoff games.
Given that some of these losses have come during years when Rodgers was at the height of his career, it is fair to wonder how he would perform under the same circumstances at this point in his football life.
As a result, he will first need to prove that he can contribute to a winning effort again. There is no guarantee that the Steelers will be able to punch a postseason ticket while competing in a frisky AFC North.
Mike DeFabo of The Athletic recently highlighted the veteran's struggles in New York last season. The traditional marks might have looked solid, but there is reason to worry about a more noticeable decline impacting the Steelers’ efficiency.
“During the Jets’ 5-12 season, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. However, the underlying stats show he wasn’t as productive as those raw numbers suggest,” DeFabo wrote.
“His passer rating (90.5) was a career-worst (minimum 20 attempts). His EPA (Expected Points Added) per dropback had been positive in every complete season through 2021 and was as high as 0.40 in the mid-2000s. But it’s been negative for the last two complete seasons, in 2022 (-0.03) and 2024 (-0.02).”
Even if Rodgers plays up to his physical potential, the California native will have to shed the stigma that has surrounded him for years. He will have to show that he is willing to be selfless and has learned from the experiences that have made him an iconoclast.
“A lot of decisions that I've made over my career and life from strictly the ego, even if they turn out well, are always unfulfilling,” Rodgers said. “But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling. So this was a decision that was best for my soul.”
