Though he has yet to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, all signs are seemingly pointing toward 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers becoming the starting quarterback for the Black and Gold.
In fact, Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt believes that it’s a reality at this point and he’s tired of talking about it as a hypothetical. So, on Wednesday morning, Brandt focused on what the 2025 season could be like for Rodgers and the Steelers.
There, Rodgers will face what Brandt calls a “brutal slate” of games within the AFC North, while also featuring matchups against the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. Though it’s a brutal slate, Brandt also added that historically older quarterbacks in their final go-round in the NFL tend to do well, so Rodgers and the Steelers should still win.
“I’m just ready to talk about this as reality. Rodgers at 41 years old, season 21, is now gonna enter a scenario in which he plays Lamar Jackson twice, Joe Burrow twice, Myles Garrett twice. Have you looked at the Steelers’ schedule next year, who they play? They play the Bills, the Lions, the Chargers, and yes, they play the Packers,” Brandt said, according to video via NFL Network. “What I just listed is 10 games of all out of 17. That’s a brutal, brutal slate for this guy. And probably it will work out. I think the Steelers almost always win.
“I would just say this: if you look at the last maybe dozen or so NFL quarterbacks who have entered the Hall of Fame, you really struggle to find some team at the end of their career that they joined for a hot second and it didn’t work out even when they do it.”
With all signs seemingly pointing toward Rodgers becoming the Steelers’ starting quarterback, maybe it is time to shift focus toward the season. Of course, nothing is done until he signs on the dotted lines, but if Rodgers is the Steelers’ starter in 2025, it will be while staring down a rather difficult schedule.
The AFC North will be difficult in its own right, even with the Cleveland Browns having quarterback issues. They still have a great defense and could land a piece like Travis Hunter or Abdul Carter to take it to another level. The Ravens and Bengals remain loaded, too.
Outside of the division, with the likes of the Lions, Bills, Packers and Chargers on the schedule, things also look quite difficult for the Steelers. Having an aging Rodgers helming the offense and doing so behind an offensive line that has much to prove isn’t all that comforting either.
That said, as Brandt pointed out, Hall of Fame quarterbacks who have moved on to new situations in years past have had success, like Brett Favre in Minnesota, Peyton Manning in Denver, Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, and even Joe Montana with the Kansas City Chiefs.
They’ve all won, and Brandt believes the Steelers will find a way to win, too.
“The schedule is brutal. Really, really brutal. And this is not last year where it’s like, well, the Patriots kind of suck in a rebuilding. The Dolphins can’t figure it out. And the Bills are the Bills. This is the AFC North,” Brandt added regarding the schedule for Rodgers. “Like, it feels like a different weight class in the fight game. This is what he’s jumping into.
“I’m not ready to talk about this speculatively anymore. I’m ready to talk about it as reality.”
The schedule will be brutal. It will also include the Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Jets, and the Chicago Bears. And the Colts, Vikings, Patriots and Bears got a whole lot better this offseason, too.
So, it’ll be a tall task not only for Rodgers to prove he can still play at a high level, but to get through the gauntlet of a schedule that the Steelers appear to be staring down for the 2025 season.
