Desperation creates strange bedfellows. Nearly 15 years after Aaron Rodgers stole a ring off of Mike Tomlin’s finger in a Super Bowl XLV loss, circumstances may lead them to link up in 2025. According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, as soon as Rodgers, is released by the New York Jets, he’s expected to have a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in place.
Tomlin has managed his share of characters before, but Rodgers requires a different level of delicate management. He’s a chaos engine who has been granted autonomy in almost every situation he’s played in. This is also the ultimate stress test of Tomlin’s coaching influence.
Why Steelers fans should be bullish on Aaron Rodgers
Listen, Rodgers is old. He’s pompous and struggled with mobility fresh off of an Achilles tear, but quarterback is a position where physical limitations can be mitigated by the most gifted signal callers. Behind Tom Brady, and now Patrick Mahomes, Rodgers has been the most exceptional quarterback of the last 15 years.
In addition, we’ve watched two quarterbacks in recent seasons decamp from the Jets at their lowest point and not just revive their careers, but propel themselves to new heights. Rodgers is in a different phase of his career than Geno Smith and Sam Darnold, but even 80% of peak A-Rod is superior to both in their prime.
Just as importantly, Tomlin values a quarterback who protects the ball. Rodgers owns the lowest interception rate in NFL history with interception thrown on 1.4 percent of his attempts. Quarterbacks his age don’t necessarily experience bounce-back seasons. However, six years ago, Tom Brady was also thought to have been done after a rough 2019 season. His final throw as a Patriot was a pick-6 to Logan Ryan.
Tomlin and the Steelers could experience a 2020 Tom Brady-like revival season from Rodgers. After they stacked the receiving corps DK Metcalf in a trade this week with the Seattle Seahawks. Rodgers comes into a better situation than Russell Wilson. He’ll get to target the premier go-route technician in the league. The Steelers offense was 27th in passing yards, 29th in passing attempts, 28th in completions, and was one of the league’s worst red zone offenses. The Steelers needed to take a risk to get off of the path to .500, and this is them putting it all on the line.
Why Steelers fans shouldn’t get their hopes up
Last season, A-Rod lost his magic. If the athletic decline continues, the Steelers' passing attack will be right back where it was last season. Unlike last season, Pittsburgh’s backup job could be held down by a journeyman instead of the 33rd-best passer in the league.
Rodgers may prove what has always been suspected about him. He’s been less interested in winning and pathologically obsessed with satiating his ego and remaining relevant to spew his Reddit shower thoughts disguised as expertise. He’ll still make more Pat McAfee appearances every Tuesday espousing conspiracy theories and throwing receivers under the bus. He pouts like a gridiron diva about the offensive scheme not being tailored precisely to his demands.
These are all habits he’s exhibited as he’s estranged himself from coaches and organizations. Tomlin has had little patience for disruptive behavior. However, the quarterback position is the head of the team body. To make matters worse, his protection breaks down. When Brady returned in 2020, he had one of the league’s best offensive lines. If Broderick Jones remains as lost as he was at right tackle and Troy Fautanu blocks like a rookie, Rodgers is in trouble. He despises pre-snap motion because it interferes with his ability to diagnose defenses before the snap. He lost that battle to Matt LaFleur in Green Bay. New York bowed to his every whim though.
The Jets pre-snap motion rate of 54.3 percent was 25th in the league. The static nature of their offense made it more straightforward for defenses to scheme against them. If the Steelers accommodate Rodgers by simplifying their pre-snap looks, and he is less of a rejuvenated Brady and more like a timeworn Big Ben tossing low-velocity passes that are easily defended, the whole affair would set Steelers football back 60 years. Given the intense pressure on Tomlin to end the Steelers playoff drought, the Steelers may be forced to pivot away from them if Rodgers flops.