The ready sport is lastly over. Aaron Rodgers has informed the Steelers that he’ll settle for their provide as he seems to cap off his Corridor of Fame profession on a a lot better be aware than what occurred throughout his tenure with the Jets.
New York gained solely 5 video games in two years with Rodgers and ended up having to eat $49 million on lifeless cash towards the wage cap. It is protected to say the Jets did not get the Rodgers expertise they hoped for. However as everybody is aware of, there’s way more that comes with the Rodgers expertise than how he performs on the sector.
Let’s go over the professionals and cons of the Steelers bringing in Rodgers for the 2025 season.
Execs
Though it is simple to seek out negatives in signing a 41-year-old quarterback together with his finest soccer effectively behind him, there are positives and the reason why this transfer is smart for Pittsburgh.
First off, Rodgers honestly performed higher than the narrative suggests final season, no less than towards the top of the yr. Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, which was ok for eighth-best in your entire NFL. He was solely 31 yards behind Patrick Mahomes for seventh.
Rodgers additionally completed eighth in touchdowns with 28 to associate with 11 interceptions. His 11 picks had been fewer than what a number of quarterbacks who led their group to the playoffs — Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold and Jared Goff, simply to call just a few — put up.
It is also solely honest to consider that Rodgers did open the yr recovering from his Achilles damage that he suffered just a few performs into the 2023 season.
And after the Steelers added DK Metcalf and traded away George Pickens, a veteran like Rodgers might be the right particular person to attempt to get essentially the most out of the receiver room as an entire.
However most significantly, when making an attempt to contextualize the Steelers’ determination to signal Rodgers, there may be an argument that he was the very best obtainable in a fairly weak market. Rodgers additionally will not attempt to dangle round too lengthy on account of his superior age, so everybody concerned must be on the identical web page, understanding he is only a bridge possibility till Pittsburgh can discover its next franchise guy.
Merely put, Rodgers is an upgrade, granted solely a short lived one, from what the Steelers have had lately.
Cons
The issue with signing Rodgers extends far past what goes on between the traces. The total Rodgers expertise is barely partly about soccer.
Whereas there is a legitimate argument that he’ll nonetheless be higher than the choice, there isn’t any participant who comes with as a lot off-the-field baggage, both.
From his political rants to his weird feedback that flip into headlines to his appearances on “The Pat McAfee Present,” Rodgers is a lightning rod who can not help himself. Many even really feel he is a narcissist who really believes he is the neatest man in each room.
Whether or not HC Mike Tomlin likes it or not, he should handle and juggle Rodgers’ character as a lot, if no more, than teaching him. Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith runs a distinct system from what Rodgers has been used to. He is now tasked with catering his offense to Rodgers and coping with enter from a soccer legend well past his prime.
Will Rodgers permit Tomlin and his employees to teach him? Will Rodgers make soccer his prime precedence? Will Rodgers be capable of restrain himself from producing headlines that may divide a locker room? These are all questions that include the total Rodgers expertise.
Rodgers could solely be in Pittsburgh for a short while, however he’ll undoubtedly make his presence felt a technique or one other.
