When it comes to succeeding as an NFL quarterback past the age of 40, really only Tom Brady can explain how it’s possible. Now watching games from the broadcast booth, Brady joined Pro Football Focus’ Cris Collinsworth in an interview posted Sunday. Brady was asked about another older quarterback he has high hopes for in Aaron Rodgers.
“We all have to evolve and grow,” Brady said of older quarterbacks. “And there’s other ways to evolve and grow. Some of it is more mentally. And sometimes, when you go through tough times, like he did with the Jets, you get reinvigorated by going to another organization, like the Steelers, that has had so much consistency in their success. And that could allow Aaron to achieve what he hopes. You know, to go out on the highest of possible notes.”
“I’m really excited to see what he does this year.”
If there’s anybody who knows how to succeed at that age it’s Brady. Some differences in Rodgers’ game have already started to show themselves. Most notably mental processing, and Rodgers’ desire to get rid of the ball quick.
Aaron Rodgers can’t be taking too many sacks as old as he is and having a torn Achilles in his rearview mirror. He got the ball out much quicker than usual with the Jets last season. With the Steelers having a couple question marks on their offensive line, we’ll likely see a similar approach this year in Pittsburgh. The Steelers will take their shots on play-action, but a good portion of the passing game will revolve around getting the ball out quickly.
Brady also speaks to the mentality an older quarterback must have, and Rodgers has shown that so far. Before he signed, many worried that his disastrous time in New York could lead to locker room problems in Pittsburgh. We’re only just entering Week 1, but that’s been far from the case so far. Rodgers has been a model teammate, with the rest of the locker room speaking highly of him.
There are a lot of similarities between the two. Brady went to a new team and won a championship past the age of 40. The Steelers aren’t quite Super Bowl contenders yet, but they’ll allow themselves to dream of similar success with Aaron Rodgers. For what it’s worth, Rodgers is showing an effort to evolve as the newly minted Steelers captain ages.
