After two seasons with the New York Jets where there was a lot of pressure to be the savior of a moribund franchise, 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers now just has to be one of the guys and play winning football with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
At least, that’s how ESPN’s Peter Schrager sees things. During an appearance Monday morning on ESPN’s Get Up, Schrager stated he believes Rodgers can just focus on playing football, rather than being the face of the franchise and carrying the pressure of being a franchise savior, similar to how he was viewed in New York after coming over from Green Bay to a franchise that hasn’t won in years.
On a veteran-laden team with plenty of stars and guys who have a great deal of experience, Schrager believes Rodgers is stepping into a great situation and knows how to succeed with a Pittsburgh cultural mindset, something he’s done throughout his career.
“He showed up to New York last tenure here and two years ago, and it was, ‘Here’s the entire franchise, save us.’ Like, ‘Go save us. Make it happen.’ And he brought in all his guys, and he had his offensive coordinator. And has the weight of the world was behind him. He comes in here [Pittsburgh], $10 million contract, which is a great value from Omar Khan and the front office. And ‘We’re gonna put you in a situation where we have veterans already, just play football, just play,'” Schrager said, according to video via ESPN. “‘You have a one-year deal. Just play football and be great.’ And I think the Arthur Smith offense works, but I’ll add this: you might look at that mix between the Pittsburgh culture of blue-collar, hardworking guys.
“His greatest success has been with Mike McCarthy, a Pittsburgh guy. Alex Van Pelt, a Pittsburgh guy, Tom Clements, a Pittsburgh guy. I think Rodgers knows that Pittsburgh mindset, knows that market. And I think it actually makes a lot of sense that he could be plugged right in. Let’s go play football and win games.”
When Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets right before the 2023 NFL Draft, there were a lot of expectations placed on him and the Jets, a franchise that has been a mess for largely the last 20+ years. Rodgers was viewed as the savior, the guy who could lead the Jets back to relevancy.
The Jets gave him a great deal of control and influence, bringing in former teammates to play with him, as well as some of his favorite coaches. Then, Rodgers tore his Achilles four plays into the 2023 season. In 2024, it wasn’t any better as Rodgers struggled, the Jets were a train wreck, and coaches and front office personnel were fired.
Rodgers was unceremoniously released by the Jets this offseason, a move that he ripped new head coach Aaron Glenn for, but now he’s with a coach he respects a great deal in Mike Tomlin. He also seems to have a solid relationship with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith at the moment, having been in contact with him throughout much of the offseason as the saga dragged out regarding if he’d sign with the Steelers or retire.
In Pittsburgh, there’s still some questions at receiver behind DK Metcalf. There are also concerns about a young offensive line that will be starting a new left tackle in Broderick Jones and an inexperienced right tackle in Troy Fautanu, who started just one game last year as a rookie before being lost for the season.
The Steelers should have a strong running game, though, with a trio of backs in rookie Kaleb Johnson, Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, which is something Rodgers didn’t have during his time in New York.
So, things look pretty solid for Rodgers in Pittsburgh, at least on paper. He doesn’t have to be the savior, just needs to come in and play football. That seems like good bet for him, especially in Pittsburgh’s culture, which is something he’s familiar with from previous coaches and has had a great deal of success in, too.
