In Aaron Rodgers, the Pittsburgh Steelers definitely aren’t getting a quarterback who’s still in the prime of his career. What they are getting is a player who understands the game like no other. Rodgers has been playing the position at a high level for two decades and brings a ton of experience to the Steelers’ offense. Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show on Wednesday, former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth was impressed with how well Rodgers knew the game, from every perspective.
“The guy just, he just understands football at an unbelievable level… He is talking the game as though he plays guard,” Schlereth said, referring to a conversation he had with Rodgers during the 2024 season. “I find that most guys can’t do that. Most guys, outside of their position, can’t talk about the problems in other positions… And there’s nobody I’ve ever talked to, he, [Tom] Brady, and a couple of guys, that have a better understanding of everybody’s issues on a football field at one time.”
This is one of the advantages the Steelers have with such an experienced quarterback in the backfield. Especially when you consider the offense around him. While Rodgers has already been helping mentor Will Howard, there are plenty of young players across the roster in need of leadership. If Rodgers can get through to Schlereth, who spent 12 years in the NFL, it’s reasonable to expect him to help guide players like Broderick Jones, Zach Frazier, Mason McCormick, and Troy Fautanu.
That’s going to be important to do. But the offensive line isn’t the only position that could use that type of leadership. At receiver, Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson are still young and coming along. Throughout his career, Rodgers has been able to mold receivers into reliable targets. The Steelers are currently without a proven second option at receiver. They’ll hope Rodgers has a similar effect on these two.
All of these different forces aligning correctly will be crucial to the Steelers’ success in 2025. If Rodgers can stay healthy, though, Schlereth thinks that’s possible.
“There’s no question Aaron’s gonna be able to diagnose it, figure it out, do his thing,” Schlereth said. “But if he’s healthy, and you’ve got that run game mixed with that play-action game? He’s gonna tear it up.”
Rodgers did happen to look healthy towards the end of the 2024 season. During that time, he put up some of his best performances of the year. Looking forward to this season, Rodgers should open things up more for the Steelers as well. Last year, Pittsburgh was hesitant to target the middle of the field. It made sense, as neither Justin Fields nor Russell Wilson was overtly successful in that area.
However, that’s something Aaron Rodgers has been able to do throughout his career. If everything goes right, Rodgers could elevate this team significantly. If he can help bring along the younger pieces and play like he did to end the 2024 season, Pittsburgh is getting quite the bargain.
