After months of deliberation, the most drawn-out storyline of the 2025 NFL offseason will finally come to an end. Following his release from the New York Jets, Aaron Rodgers will return for one more year in 2025 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ahead of his first season with the Steelers, we’ll be making our Aaron Rodgers predictions.
Though the 41-year-old has yet to put pen to paper, Rodgers told the team he would sign a one-year deal. Assuming everything goes according to plan, he will become Pittsburgh’s third different starting quarterback in as many years and fourth in the last five seasons.
Signing a player of Rodgers’ age will only further that trend, but it gives the Steelers much more immediate hope than they previously had.
Even at 41, Rodgers is a significant improvement from what the Steelers’ quarterback room currently has. Until he officially signs, Pittsburgh’s roster only has Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and Will Howard listed at quarterback.
Rudolph has prior experience starting in black and gold but is otherwise a career backup, like Thompson. Howard, a sixth-round rookie, has the team’s belief as a potential option down the line but not one who is ready to be thrown into the fire.
With Rodgers leading the charge, the Steelers hope to maintain their status as dark-horse title contenders. Coming off an up-and-down season with the New York Jets, Rodgers also seeks a rebound campaign with renowned head coach Mike Tomlin. With many variables in play, here are our 2025 Aaron Rodgers predictions.
Aaron Rodgers will lead Steelers back to playoffs
Since taking over in 2007, Mike Tomlin has notoriously never suffered a losing season as a head coach. He has made the playoffs in 12 of his 18 years, even if postseason success has evaded him over the last decade. Perhaps that trend continues in 2025, but either way, Aaron Rodgers should lead the Steelers back to the playoffs.
While the Steelers have made the playoffs at a 67 percent clip under Tomlin, Rodgers has seen the postseason in 11 of his 18 years. Removing his early years as a backup and the two seasons he lost to injury, he has reached the playoffs at an 85 percent rate.
Rodgers has had his late-career struggles, but if he is to experience a second wind, it would be with Pittsburgh. Many criticize his stingy approach with his coaches, but the four-time MVP has openly expressed his admiration for Tomlin. If there is one coach he is excited to play for, it seems to be Tomlin, the league’s longest-tenured head coach.
The Steelers share a lot of similarities with Rodgers, beyond just their new partnership. Fans love to write both of them off, even if history suggests otherwise.
Pittsburgh endured a lot of changes in the offseason, but it made a point to avoid a rebuild year. Before signing Rodgers, the Steelers bolstered their offensive roster by trading for DK Metcalf and drafting running back Kaleb Johnson in the third round.
Aaron Rodgers will throw for fewest yards in his career
Rodgers might lead the Steelers back to the playoffs, but it will not be because of his arm. He might statistically be coming off a resurgent year with the Jets, but Rodgers’ best days are long gone. As impressive as his return from a ruptured Achilles was, it seems unlikely that Rodgers will ever throw for 4,000 yards in a year again.
More than anything, the Steelers are the perfect fit for Rodgers at this point in his career. At 41, he is no longer the same player who can carry a franchise as he did in his prime with the Green Bay Packers.