In doing his part to make sure that every member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is on the same page prior to the start of the 2025 regular season, Aaron Rodgers hosted several of the team’s pass catchers for a private workout session in Malibu. D.K. Metcalf, Pat Freiermuth, Calvin Austin III, and several others were all in tow for the offseason business trip.
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However, Mike Florio is suggesting that the veteran quarterback should make the absolute most of this time in the offseason. During the most recent episode of ProFootballTalk, the founding analyst provided a laundry list of issues that will hopefully be resolved by the time their trip is over.
“Aaron Rodgers needs to figure out who he can trust, who he can’t trust, what the windows are, what the catch radius is, where you can put the ball.”
If there was ever a time for making mistakes and learning through error, it’s right now, and Rodgers seems to be aware of that. As Florio pointed out, back when Marcus Mariota was in the midst of an interception-less offseason with the Tennessee Titans, the Green Bay legend famously stated, “This is where you throw the interceptions.”
While it’s certainly beneficial to know as much about as many of your receivers as possible, Florio still felt the need to state the obvious, that being that no relationship in Pittsburgh will matter as much as the one between Rodgers and Metcalf. Nevertheless, the team will still be expecting someone to step up and assert themselves as the clear WR2.
“Now is the time for Rodgers to get comfortable with pass catchers, most notably, D.K. Metcalf, but also other guys that they are going to need. They really hope Roman Wilson is going to step up, he was a third-round pick a year ago… They need Calvin Austin III too.”
While Florio continues to hope for the best, he’s ultimately forced to wonder about how much, or how little, work the Steelers will be putting in while on their trip. “Is this just a 4th of July week… or is this something where they are really going to spend time grinding?”
Whether or not the team is taking things seriously will inevitably come to light during the regular season. When accounting for opponent win percentage from the previous season, Pittsburgh has the 10th most difficult schedule of any team in the league.
Furthermore, oddsmakers are listing their win total for the 2025 regular season at 8.5 wins, hinting at this potentially being the first losing season of Mike Tomlin’s soon-to-be 19-year career. Simply put, the odds aren’t on their side.
Should the Steelers hope to make good on their intentions of winning a playoff game, then they’ll need Rodgers to turn back the clock and defy the odds for them. While that seems like a big ask for a signal caller that is 41 years old and two years removed from an Achilles injury, if there’s anyone who can do it, it’s the very same quarterback who just so happens to hold the all-time record for Hail Mary pass completions.
