Nothing is official yet, but if Aaron Rodgers is going to play football in 2024, there doesn’t seem to be a suitable destination outside of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately for the Steelers, that’s a big if. Judging by their actions this offseason, the Steelers seem confident that Rodgers will be coming to town eventually.
If he does, his fit in the Steelers’ offense will be interesting. Speaking on the Underdog Fantasy Football YouTube channel on Friday, Josh Norris didn’t sound especially excited about Rodgers in 2025.
“I feel like the last few games kinda masked a bad season,” Norris said. “I don’t think he played well for a vast majority of the year. He was really immobile.”
Calling Rodgers immobile isn’t exactly the hottest take out there. For one, he’s 41 years old and will turn 42 during the 2025 season. Last year was also his first season removed from an Achilles injury. An injury like that will severely hamper most athletes, let alone one with the wear and tear Rodgers has.
All things considered, his 2024 campaign was undeniably one of his worst statistically. That’s a high bar to clear with Rodgers’ career, but notable nonetheless. Ultimately, there are two ways to look at his season.
It could be argued that it simply took Rodgers some time to get used to playing football again. He missed the entire 2023 season, aside from a couple of snaps. As the year went on, he seemed to get more comfortable, leading to some of his better performances coming as the season wound down, which Norris alludes to.
Take Kirk Cousins, another aging quarterback, for example. He’s about five years younger than Aaron Rodgers and made his return from the same injury in 2024 as well. Cousins looked like a shell of himself for a good portion of the year and, compared to Rodgers, showed less improvement as the season went on.
However, others think Rodgers was a beneficiary of some garbage-time numbers at the end of the year. He had good performances, but the games didn’t matter.
If Aaron Rodgers does end up in Pittsburgh, his fit in Arthur Smith’s offense will be interesting to watch. Norris has his own questions about that as well.
“This is also the first time in a very long time that he is not going to be running an Aaron Rodgers offense,” Norris said. “It’s almost certainly going to be an Arthur Smith offense… That means play-action from under center, and we just don’t see that from Aaron Rodgers anymore. So, I’m intrigued to see how this works… I saw a real decline in his game.”
Aaron Rodgers’ immobility was in the spotlight in New York. In Pittsburgh, though, he’d have a good supporting cast. His offensive line would have more promise, although it’s a young unit. If Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, and Mason McCormick can all show some growth in 2024, Rodgers’ lack of mobility at this age won’t be as concerning.
Smith likes to rely on the run game. He just got a new toy in Kaleb Johnson, which should help Pittsburgh establish the run early and often. That could help take some pressure off Rodgers’ plate. Using play-action off of that will be easier, especially with dynamic targets such as DK Metcalf and George Pickens on the outside.
At his age, with the numbers he put up last year, it’s more than fair to worry about Aaron Rodgers going forward. For the Steelers, that’s a risk they’ve got to take, without another choice. At the very least, Arthur Smith should have the tools necessary to put Rodgers in a good position in 2025.
