Love it or hate it, Aaron Rodgers is your starting quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
The future Hall of Famer is replacing Russell Wilson as the team’s starter in 2025, although the excitement for his arrival in Pittsburgh has been met with plenty of doubt, as he’s coming off two down years in New York.
However, even at the age of 41, Rodgers is still impressing those who have seen play and practice over the past few years. Rodgers attended all three days of the team’s minicamp last week, which marked his practice debut with the team.
“Rodgers may be good, or he may look like a 41-year-old heading into his 20th season,” Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly wrote. “I’d bet on the former, even though not much was gleaned during his three days with a Steelers helmet on, other than he’s still a sharp dude with a lightning-quick release.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler provided some insights from coaches and executives around the NFL, and one coach made it quite clear he thinks Rodgers still has it.
The unnamed coach also believes Rodgers will provide the upgrade Pittsburgh is looking for.
“He’s still throwing the s— out of the ball, honestly,” the coach told Fowler. “He’s the best quarterback they’ve had since (Ben Roethlisberger). We will see how the body holds up, but I think he’s going to help them immensely.”
It’s tough to totally gauge Rodgers after last season. After all, he was coming back from a torn Achilles and players aren’t always themselves in the first year back.
That said, Rodgers’ play did get better as the year progressed, and there’s hope that he could be even better with more time removed from the injury.
On the flip side, Father Time is undefeated and at some point Rodgers has to hit the wall. The Steelers will hope that doesn’t happen in 2025.
With Rodgers now signed, the Steelers have to do what they can to put him in the best possible position. A good way to do that would be to add another wide receiver, a position the team is lacking at after the George Pickens trade.
