While it hasn’t happened yet, it seems likely that Aaron Rodgers will sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If he wants to play in 2025, the Steelers look like the only team left that is seriously interested in him. Similarly, the Steelers want an upgrade under center, and Rodgers is their only option left in free agency. The union makes sense. However, analyst Nate Tice isn’t sure that Rodgers would work in Arthur Smith’s offense.
“There’s positives here, but I still have questions,” Tice said recently on the Yahoo Sports’ Football 301 podcast. “Also, on top of it, if you remember the Jets last year, and you remember the Falcons last year, they became one-sided and they wouldn’t bootleg because of their quarterback’s Achilles. Their quarterbacks couldn’t push off. Which coach loves under-center play-action and under-center bootlegs? Arthur Smith.”
“It’s like, the idea of it’s okay, but just the combination of this is just a little unappealing. I think I would say here, this is the Big Ben [Roethlisberger], Drew Brees last season archetype. And really, Matt Ryan last season archetype, when he was with the Colts. This is kind of the beginning of the end, it usually says.”
Ryan with the Colts could be an apt comparison for Rodgers with the Steelers. During the first 14 years of his career, Ryan was with the Atlanta Falcons, winning his share of accolades, including league MVP in 2016. However, he didn’t finish his career in Atlanta.
In 2022, Ryan joined the Colts for his final NFL season. He had shown signs of declining before that, but in Indianapolis, he looked like a shell of his former self. Appearing in 12 games at 37 years old, Ryan threw for 3,057 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. It wasn’t the career renaissance that he was hoping to have.
If Rodgers signs with the Steelers, that could be what his final season looks like. While Rodgers has been a better player than Ryan was, he hasn’t looked like the same player in recent years. Father Time was already starting to catch him, and then he tore his Achilles to start the 2023 season. That’s a tough injury to bounce back from, and while Rodgers started to look better at the end of last year, he still wasn’t the same.
Smith’s offense might not be the best fit for Rodgers, either. Throughout his career, Rodgers has liked to operate out of shotgun, with less emphasis on throwing over the middle of the field. However, Smith’s offense tends to work best with the quarterback under center running play-action.
In his prime, Rodgers moved well, but age and that Achilles injury might’ve robbed him of much of his athleticism.
However, maybe Smith and Rodgers could find a nice middle ground in the Steelers’ offense. Rodgers’ arm still looked strong last year. He looks like he has more left in the tank than Ryan did with the Colts. Perhaps he can recapture some of his old magic. He wouldn’t be the first old quarterback to find success with a new team.
