Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will receive a fresh start with his new team this upcoming season, but that won't guarantee that old concerns and hang-ups will disappear.

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith recently said that he believes Rodgers will have to have more to lose than Kevin Durant, who will also be in a new environment following his recent trade to the Houston Rockets.

“I would tell you, honestly speaking, that Rodgers has more to lose because this is it. If this doesn't work out for Rogers, his career is over,” Smith said on ‘First Take.'

Both Rodgers and Durant have been iconoclasts throughout their careers. They’ve challenged conventional wisdoms and have clashed with the media on multiple occasions, something Smith also pointed out as it pertained to the Steelers' quarterback.

“I personally think that there's some people out there that have personal animus towards him, and that infiltrates their thoughts in terms of how they convey what they convey about him,” Smith said. “And I don't like that.”

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Rodgers is coming off of a rocky two-year stint with the New York Jets. He suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1 of the 2023 season, and never seemed to find his footing when he returned in 2024.

Across 17 games, the California native completed 63 percent of his passes, tossed 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. While these marks are commendable, they are still a far cry from what the four-time MVP seemed to put up on a yearly basis as a member of the Green Bay Packers.

The Steelers have had an intriguing offseason. In addition to bringing in Rodgers, they also traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys and traded for former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf.

Pittsburgh has had one of the NFL’s top defenses over the past few seasons, but their offensive output has been questionable. Head coach Mike Tomlin and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will hope Rodgers can provide a boost and show he has more left in the tank.