Even though they’ve both won a Super Bowl and received numerous Pro Bowl nominations, the 2025 regular season is shaping up to be a “prove it” season for Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. Father Time has been relatively unkind to them, especially Rodgers. Now that the former Green Bay Packer has officially taken Wilson’s old job with the Pittsburgh Steelers, many are beginning to wonder if a hobbled Rodgers will truly prove to be an upgrade for the Steelers at this point in his career.
Advertisement
According to John McDevitt of the Inside BBI podcast, the Steelers will at least be downgrading in terms of locker room chemistry by adding Rodgers to the mix. Even though both quarterbacks were listed as free agents this offseason, McDevitt believes the New York Giants made the right choice when they elected to pursue Wilson instead of Rodgers.
Despite many of his former teammates suggesting that Wilson is not the easiest guy to get in contact with, the host of the Giants-based podcast insists that “he’s good about bringing people together,” and that Rodgers is simply “not that guy.”
“Russell Wilson is a better leader than Aaron Rodgers…Aaron Rodgers doesn’t bring everybody together; he brings his guys together. He doesn’t always mesh with other people. That’s been obvious in Green Bay. It was certainly obvious with the Jets. Russell Wilson goes out of his way to bring people together; this is a big deal.”
While Rodgers certainly did manage to bring many of his former targets from Green Bay along with him to New York, such as Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, and Allen Lazard, his issues with the Jets appeared to be more systematic than anything else. Issues with coaches, play calling, and ownership ultimately led to both him and Robert Saleh being dismissed. While the latter managed to land softly back in San Francisco with his original employer, Rodgers figures to be on his last strike going into 2025.
He’s now managed to lure D.K. Metcalf away from the Seahawks, but only time will tell what is to come of their relationship on the field. Oddsmakers have set the Steelers’ win total for the 2025 season at 8.5 wins, suggesting there’s not much optimism surrounding the QB-WR duo.
Mike Tomlin has a clearly defined set of expectations that everyone is aware of when heading into each and every NFL season. So while fans and pundits may not be anticipating much, Pittsburgh’s head coach of 18 years will almost certainly be expecting to see some production out of Rodgers.
For better or worse, all signs seem to be pointing to this being Rodgers’ last ride. Guided by one of the most winning head coaches of the modern era and supported by one of the most physically gifted wide receivers in the league today, the pressure to deliver is now solely on Rodgers and his weathered ACLs.
