Aaron Rodgers made clear on Thursday that not only is he not all in on the Steelers for 2025, he isn’t all in on football. Even if he decides to sign with the Steelers, that’s a problem. As Chuck Noll was known to say, if you’re thinking about retiring, you probably already are. While it’s not impossible to play well if your heart isn’t fully into it, it certainly makes it harder.
In hearing Rodgers talk with Pat McAfee, I can’t help but wonder if the Steelers thought about Tom Brady. Brady pretty much never had a down season in his career—until his last one. At the time, he was explicitly conflicted about his playing future. His marriage was on the rocks and headed for divorce. And his play reflected that, the Buccaneers going from 13-4 to 8-9. He posted the lowest touchdown percentage for a season in his entire career, and lowest YPA in two decades.
Brady’s sudden decline didn’t seem to have much to do with being 45, given how he played at 44. Aaron Rodgers is now 41, but the Steelers could get good play out of him if he is invested. The problem is, he certainly doesn’t appear to have the requisite investment.
And it’s not like he played great last year. His numbers weren’t horrible, even if they were pretty uniformly worse than his career averages. But he still went 5-12 with the Jets. Aaron Rodgers played better later in the year, but they still lost just as much, so why would the Steelers get a better version of him?
The hope concerning Rodgers in 2025 is that he will be better because he will be healthier. But that point is moot if he isn’t in a better mental headspace. From the sounds of it, he was committed to the Jets for 2025. He wasn’t prepared to pivot. If Rodgers were prepared to commit to the Steelers—he would have done so by now.
Many who watched his interview felt like they were listening to a man preparing to retire. And while he discussed the Steelers, Aaron Rodgers also admitted that retirement is on the table. There is no reason to think that he definitely plans to play right now.
But how much changes if he does decide to play? How committed would Rodgers be above the neck to the Steelers, especially if they aren’t winning? He thought he could turn the Jets into a winner. He thought he could step into a winner in Minnesota. That isn’t exactly the situation in Pittsburgh, but he might not have more than one season.
Now, the Steelers surely knew all this about Rodgers all along. Since their meeting, both parties have now confirmed, essentially, that they are in somewhat regular contact. If the Steelers have been somewhat coy about the specifics of the situation, it has been due to decorum. They were keeping Rodgers’ affairs private unless he chose to divulge information. None of that changes the very real possibility that they could be pursuing an unfocused quarterback past his prime.
