Aaron Rodgers’ 2024 season was a tale of two different stories. The first one, taking place during the first half of the season, was ugly. However, during the second half of the year, Rodgers looked more comfortable and put together some of his best games of the season. Part of the reason for that could have been him simply getting used to his Achilles again, which he tore during the first drive of the 2023 season.
During ESPN’s NFL Live on Friday, Jeremy Fowler said he’s spoken to anonymous coaches around the NFL. Specifically, he spoke to some of the New York Jets’ coaches, who believe Rodgers will play better in 2025.
“Especially the coaches, when you talk to them, they look at it as a bottom line, like how do we get better? And they see the Steelers as vastly better now than they were just a couple months ago,” Fowler said. “I know fans like to see teams maybe scale it back or even try to tank, but we know that’s not the Steelers way. And these coaches say that he could play last year, especially the Jets’ coaches that I talked to. They were more than happy with the way he played. And they feel like year two, coming off that Achilles tear, he’ll be even better.”
It would make sense that Aaron Rodgers looks better this season. Achilles injuries are notorious for being one of the hardest injuries to recover from. It’s especially difficult for Rodgers, who was 39 at the time of his injury. At that age, his body just isn’t going to recover as quickly as a younger player might. It could be especially difficult considering his game has never been based around his mobility.
For much of last season, the Jets were a laughingstock. However, Rodgers did provide some excitement during that run the end the season. He threw nine touchdowns and just three interceptions during the last five games of the season. He also threw for more than 250 yards in four of those games. For the first time in a long time, he started to look like the Aaron Rodgers of old.
For Pittsburgh in 2025, it’s not just Rodgers himself, though. The only way he can look comfortable on that Achilles is if he gets the protection he needs. His left tackle, Broderick Jones, absolutely has to play well, which he hasn’t done consistently yet in his career. At right tackle, Troy Fautanu has just one game of professional experience under his belt. The interior of the line was solid last year but has plenty of youth as well.
However, if everything goes well, the Steelers could be in great shape with Rodgers. Fowler mentioned that some of those coaches think the Steelers are “vastly better” with Rodgers on the roster. If the same coaches that saw him all season long in 2024 are expecting success for Aaron Rodgers this year, that’s a great sign.
