Aaron Rodgers wants to empty the tank with the Steelers, but how much gas does he have left?
Aaron Rodgers told Pat McAfee that he wants to “empty the tank” with the Steelers, but how much gas does he have? It’s nice that he plans to “leave it all out on the field”, which is always what you want to hear. But how much does he have left to give?
Based on last season, Rodgers still has a good arm, and generally good decision-making. In theory, outside of some athleticism, there isn’t anything he can’t do anymore. He did, however, clearly lack the consistency of his best era of football.
But even quarterbacks struggle to play into their 40s—football is just hard on the body. Aaron Rodgers is 41 now and acknowledged that this season with the Steelers is likely his last. On the one hand, that’s a good thing, because it makes him fully devoted to this year. If he doesn’t get out of this season what he wants, then he’ll never get it.
On the other hand, you’re rarely at your best just before you retire. And if you’re already on the cusp of retiring, you might find giving up easier. Aaron Rodgers is already a Super Bowl champion, a four-time NFL MVP, and a likely first-ballot Hall of Famer. He has nothing to prove with or to the Steelers, or to anybody else.
After missing basically the entire 2023 season due to an Achilles injury, Rodgers did play every game in 2024. That’s a good sign, and he is also further removed from said injury, which is also important. But many analysts have scrutinized his game film from last season, even if he put up decent numbers.
Are we in the same boat as with Russell Wilson? He could still do all the things he used to do that made him great—by and large. The problem was that he only found that fountain of youth in sips, not splashes. How much splash does Aaron Rodgers have left, especially with whatever other fountains out of which he drinks these days?
It’s a moot point now, because Rodgers is the Steelers’ quarterback, and there’s no turning back. Everyone involved understands this is a one-year arrangement, perhaps even an experiment. And given the alternatives available to the Steelers this offseason, it’s hard to argue it wasn’t at least cost-effective.
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
