One Aaron Rodgers Skill Steelers Believe Is Best They’ve Had Since Ben Roethlisberger

Aaron Rodgers might not be a perennial MVP candidate anymore, but the Pittsburgh Steelers still see plenty of attractive things in the veteran quarterback’s game.

Rodgers signed a reported one-year deal with Pittsburgh last week after weeks of speculation he’d be joining the Steelers. This comes on the heels of a revolving door of quarterbacks for Pittsburgh in recent years, with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson performing well in the role in 2024 before signing elsewhere this offseason.

Now, they turn to Rodgers, who is coming off a bumpy run with the New York Jets. After an Achilles injury stopped his 2023 campaign before it got off the ground, his 2024 season left plenty to be desired.

Still, he has one of the best track records in recent NFL memory. And despite the understandable physical regression that would come from a quarterback who will turn 42 in December, his ability to see the field from the pocket was a draw for the Steelers, ESPN NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler said Sunday.

“Teams I’ve talked to believe that Rodgers at this stage is a middle-of-the-pack quarterback,” Fowler said on SportsCenter, via Bleacher Report. “He’s probably ranked 15-17 among the top 32. He’s not that top-10 guy anymore, but the Steelers do believe that they’re getting the best field vision from the pocket they’ve had since Ben Roethlisberger. They believe he’s still got plenty of arm strength, and New York Jets’ coaches I’ve talked to think that he was a lot better than the stats showed last year. It’s just simply a mobility issue. It’s also how is he going to coalesce with (Arthur) Smith?”

Fowler had also mentioned that conversations were ongoing between Rodgers, Smith, and Mike Tomlin on how to best adjust the offense to Rodgers’ while still preserving Smith’s scheme.

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