Rumors may swirl, but nothing’s official until the ink dries — and this past Saturday, Aaron Rodgers finally made it official by signing a one-year, $13.65 million deal with the Steelers. Ever since his departure from the Jets earlier in the offseason, most football heads believed he’d either end up in Pittsburgh or hang it up for good. Well, it’s the former, as he’s officially in black and gold.
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So the question now remains: Can Aaron Rodgers return to his MVP-like form this late into his career with his third team? If you ask former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, the answer is no.
Discussing the Steelers’ acquisition on his show, Unbuttoned on NFL on NBC, Simms was asked the same question we’re all wondering by his co-host. He quickly said no. However, he does believe the Steelers’ offense will be much improved with Rodgers — and, of course, the addition of wide receiver DK Metcalf will also be very helpful.
“No, I can not [see him putting together an MVP season], not that type of thing,” Simms said. “But can I see him playing really well and the Pittsburgh offense being actually a force this year and having more than just like two or three games of oh wow, we look good… This is where I think they’ll be different.”
Rodgers remains in the AFC but now joins a much more competitive division in the AFC North compared to the AFC East he just left. The Steelers finished last season 10-7 and second in their division, earning a playoff appearance. With Rodgers, the team should be poised for a deep playoff run — and it’s about time fans in the Steel City got that.
How will Aaron Rodgers fare in Pittsburgh?
Will the Steelers be better or worse with Rodgers? The hope is much better. However, it’s tough to see a 41-year-old QB leading them on a Super Bowl run.
Rodgers has been to the Super Bowl before—and won it. But let’s not forget, just two seasons ago, he tore his Achilles and was sidelined for the entire year. And the last time he played a full season, the Jets went 5-12.
Rodgers’ stats were decent (28 passing touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 3,897 passing yards), but he posted the lowest quarterback rating of his career for a full season (90.5). It’s hard to picture him leading them to the Super Bowl, but he could still guide them to the postseason and a winning record.
But say the 41-year-old veteran gets hurt. Who do the Steelers turn to? Most likely, it would be backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. The Steelers brought him back this offseason after he spent last year with the Tennessee Titans. He’s been with Pittsburgh for six seasons and has started 13 games.
Rudolph should have the upper hand on rookie quarterback Will Howard, who the team drafted in the sixth round. Typically, sixth-round QBs end up as backups for much of their careers in the NFL.
The team also has Skylar Thompson as a backup, who has only played in three career games. All signs point to Rudolph being QB2 behind Rodgers.
