Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. However, at this point in his career, it doesn’t seem like he can still play at that level. He’s 41 years old, and he’s been declining over the past few seasons. There’s some hope that, another year removed from tearing his Achilles, Rodgers can help the Pittsburgh Steelers win a playoff game. However, Brady Poppinga, a former NFL linebacker, has some concerns about his former Green Bay Packers teammate.
“I went to the Jets-Patriots game last year, and the thing that was sticking out about Aaron that was different was simply, it’s almost this unwillingness, I wouldn’t say unwillingness because he’s tough, it’s almost like the body is tired and doesn’t want to take the hit,” Poppinga said recently on Infinity Sports Network. “There’s a lot of flinching.
“I would say his vision is going from reading the field to the rush, which isn’t usually normal for high-level quarterbacks. High-level quarterbacks are kind of able to feel the rush and then they’re able to keep their eyes downfield.”
Rodgers didn’t look like himself last year with the New York Jets. Some of that could be chalked up to him returning from a major injury, but his decline didn’t start there. In 2022, his last season with the Packers, he seemed to start regressing. In 17 games, Rodgers threw for 3,695 yards with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
The Packers missed the playoffs that year, and it was one of Rodgers’ worst seasons. It was the first time he was healthy and threw for less than 4,000 yards since 2015. Also, it marked the first time since 2010 that Rodgers threw double-digit interceptions.
The signs were there that Rodgers might not be able to play at an MVP level anymore. Poppinga elaborated on why he thinks this version of Rodgers won’t be able to elevate the Steelers.
“It’s not that he’s being weak, it’s not that he’s not tough. It’s just you’re getting tired,” he said. “Tom Brady went through it. Brett Favre went through it. Everybody goes through it in the game of football. The problem with that is that, for over 17 games, he’s not going to be able to play at a caliber that’s gonna drive them to be playoff contenders.”
Brady and Favre are the two quarterbacks who found success after turning 40. It’s fair to call Brady an outlier since he played at a high level until he was 45. However, Favre might be a better baseline to judge Rodgers off of.
Favre played until he was 41, and in that final season, he looked like a shell of his former self. At 40, he looked like he still had gas left in the tank, throwing for 4,202 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. However, the following year, he only played in 13 games, recording 2,509 passing yards with 11 touchdowns and 19 interceptions.
It was a drastic fall-off for Favre. Rodgers could be in for a similar fall from grace. Like Poppinga says, it’s not about how hard Rodgers is trying. Father Time eventually catches everyone.
Rodgers’ game is very different from Favre’s, so there’s reason to believe that he won’t be that bad this year. However, it might be important to temper expectations for the Steelers this season. They’ve won with poor quarterback play in the past. Rodgers could still give them quality play, but he might not be a massive ceiling raiser.
