Free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers appears to be headed to the Pittsburgh Steelers, following a lengthy “will he, won’t he” process which was very reminiscent of the tail end of Brett Favre’s career this offseason.
Rodgers, who had openly flirted with the idea of retirement, will reportedly fly to Pittsburgh Friday to join the Steelers ahead of next week’s mandatory minicamp. Once his signing becomes official, it ends a tumultuous offseason in which fans of the black and yellow openly wondered what the team’s plans under centre were after letting both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson walk in free agency.
The soon to be 42 year old’s best days appear to be behind him at this point. However, there’s an argument to be made that he still represents a sizeable upgrade from Pittsburgh’s in house options had he chosen to sign elsewhere.
Prior to news of his signing, the Steelers were poised to head into training camp with an open QB competition between Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Skylar Thompson. Each had proven to be capable NFL backups, and collegiate QBs, but it would have been a tall task to expect any of them to be the centrepiece of a playoff bound offence in 2025.
The 4x league MVP regressed in his final season in Green Bay in 2022, throwing for 3,695 yards and the most interceptions in a season (12) since his first year as a starter in 2008. He then missed virtually all of his age 40 season in New York after suffering a season ending injury in the season opener. Last year he rebounded with 3,897 yards, and 28 TDs through the air, but was noticeably slower on the field, and had virtually no scramble ability left in his legs.
Now entering his age 42 season, whether Rodgers can recapture the magic of his 2021 MVP campaign, or he becomes the quarterback that breaks Mike Tomlin’s infamous streak of non-losing seasons will a hot topic of conversation throughout the 2025 NFL campaign.
Adding yet another layer of intrigue is the fact that Pittsburgh will open their regular season against the New York Jets on September 7th.
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