PITTSBURGH — As Aaron Rodgers claimed “no one is hostage,” the Pittsburgh Steelers reserve for the spring was that they were going to do their offseason business independent of Rodgers’ decision.
However, neither action coincided with what they said.
He attended the Kentucky Derby party and spent time with his friends and rapper Mike when he handled what Rodgers called “difficult” for members of his inner circle. In a few of his concerts, the Steelers bypassed almost all quarterback options before drafting Wil Howard in the sixth round. They also chose to sign Mason Rudolph as the only true veteran quarterback to join the inexperienced Skyler Thompson.
One of the many beliefs of manager Mike Tomlin is that players want to be “volunteers, not hostages,” but the Steelers volunteered to put all their eggs in the basket and be held Rogers’ hostage. The draft is over, the desolate free-agent quarterback market, and few trading options, Rodgers is the Steelers’ final hope. Still, in paper and on the ground, Rogers doesn’t seem to fit the Steelers crime or its long-standing organizational philosophy, and the franchise is surged towards an identity crisis.
Tomlin doubled the importance of becoming a run first team when he hired offensive Arthur Smith a year ago, but it is expected that on Friday the Steelers will agree to a deal with Rodgers, who was the second-ever attempt at passing in the NFL last season.
Tomlin has also repeatedly emphasized mobility as a coveted quarterback trait, but his new Signal-Caller took 40 bags and ran 34 times for 94 yards last season.
And general manager Omar Khan has coordinated his blockbuster trade to acquire the Premier Deep Threat DK Metcalf on the eve of free agency and signed an unprecedented extension, but now signed with an average of 6.6 air yards and 6.6 air yards last season, ranking 32nd out of 36 eligible signal colors.
“How we’re done [the season] Kahn said at the NFL combine. We expect better and that can never happen again. And I’m just as disappointed as everyone else and I can tell you that we’re working so hard to fix it and that it doesn’t happen again. ”
The Steelers entered a promising offseason change after a five-game winning streak to end the regular season, which began with a 10-3 record in 14 weeks. And while Rodgers has been poised for years to become the team’s fifth different Week 1 start quarterback, it’s not necessarily working with the intended offensive identity.
This is the second time the Steelers have swung on a regeneration project over the years. Like his previous 36-year-old Russell Wilson, Rogers, 41, was released before the end of his contract by the New York Jets.
This is a hand that the Steelers treated themselves by not re-signing their former quarterback, who set out for a modest deal with the Jets. His average annual value of $20 million is the lowest of all forecast quarterbacks who don’t play in rookie trades – and a fresh start.
The Steelers won the much-anticipated Final Rose for Rodgers after the Giants signed Wilson and Minnesota to 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy as the starting quarterback. Pittsburgh then landed Rogers after a tedious civil war tug of war between Rogers wanting to continue playing or retire. But at this point in his career, Rogers has more thorns than petals.
As a four-time NFL MVP, a 10-time Pro Bowler and a Super Bowl champion (who beat Tomlin’s Steelers), Rogers is an undeniable future Hall of Fame. However, after the Achilles destruction, which cost the 20 years in the NFL, a 2023 season and the second act of victory in New York, Rodgers enters Pittsburgh as the shadow of a back-to-back MVP award winning quarterback in 2020 and 2021.
Since winning the highest individual honor in the NFL, Rogers’ performance has declined sharply. In 2022 and 2024, he ranked 26th and 25th in QBR and 21st and 26th in one attempt as a starter for his past two seasons.
Beyond being a ringmaster in New York’s off-field circus, for the majority of his two seasons, Rodgers showed his only full season of field performance as the starter declined from the gold standard set during his Green Bay career. Rodgers finished the season and completed 63% of attempts for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, but posted a 48.0 QBR. His low QBR as a starter for a full season was 41.3 in 2022. That year, in his final season at Green Bay, he made 64.6% attempts 8-9 with 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 intercepts.
Perhaps Rogers’ lowest point on low-light reels during his Jets days led to the Buffalo Bills’ 40-14 week loss. By the time Rodgers reached the bench with the Jets chasing 40-0 early in the fourth quarter, the offense was a straight property of 14 without a touchdown. The unit finally scored a touchdown (Rogers’ 500th career TD strike) in the second quarter of the final regular season finale with Dolphins in Rogers’ final game as Jet.
The Steelers had a similar offensive dry spell in 2024. They didn’t score an opening drive touchdown all season. From the start of Week 11 to the victory against the Baltimore Ravens (thanks to Chris Boswell’s field goal) to Wilson spotted receiver Calvin Austin with a 23-yard score later in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Browns a week later, the Steelers went to 20 offensive possessions (seven quarters) without a touchdown.
“We certainly need to score more points,” Tomlin said of the attack at a closing news conference. “Whatever happens, it happens in any way. It doesn’t necessarily mean building, but we certainly managed to get more points. You don’t get 14 points a week in January and you won’t be very successful.”
By comparing side-by-side, Wilson’s strengths seem to suit the Steelers’ offensive personnel better.
Wilson averaged 7.6 yards per 7.6 yards in 2024, while Rogers checked in at 6.7. Wilson was also good when Rogers wasn’t under pressure, according to an ESPN study. Wilson completed 75% of the attempts with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions for 71 QBRs. Rodgers completed 68% without pressure and intercepted 10 21 touchdowns against 55 QBRs.
And while Rogers wasn’t shy to skip it early in his career, he was remarkably conservative since Achilles broke. He averaged 2.69 seconds for fifth place out of qualified quarterbacks last season, and his 6.6 yards averaged the fifth-shot throw distance in the league. In 2024, he averaged a slow distance of less than 7.4 yards and marked his only full season as a starter.
Rogers also doesn’t helm a prolific offense. According to an ESPN survey, the Jets ranked 28th in last year’s runplay, with the Packers running for 37% of play between 2008 and 2022. However, Rogers’ new offensive coordinator, Smith, has overseen the top five rushing crimes as a play car in five of his last six seasons.
But they are the point of controversy as Wilson has trouble in his own hands and plans a visit with the Browns and the Giants while the Steelers await Rogers’ decision. The day after news of Wilson’s visit spread, the Steelers ticked Rudolph, the third-round pick of 2018, who spent the 2024 season in Tennessee, into a two-year, $8 million contract.
Some believe that, like the Steelers, Rogers is more upside down than Wilson – or there are other options available for weak quarterback free agency and draft class. The Jets are a better redzone score percentage than the Steelers in 2024, with Pittsburgh at 54.55%, fourth-lowest in the NFL.
“He played well, especially towards the end of the season,” said Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols, who played with Rodgers last season in New York. “I hope the outcome has improved a bit, but towards the end of the season he really started to wake up.”
The Steelers’ approach to free agency brought the ball to Rodgers. Their best chance to avoid a potentially aggressive identity crisis is for him to return it within the structure of their attack.
