Aaron Rodgers and Brett Favre have always been tied together. Both men began their careers with the Green Bay Packers. They each won one Super Bowl in Green Bay, in their sixth professional campaign and age-27 season. Favre claimed three MVP awards for the Packers in three consecutive seasons (1995-97). Rodgers earned MVP honors four times, including back-to-back years (2020 and 2021).
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Those parallels don’t include Favre and Rodgers both joining the Jets after their stints in Green Bay ended. And if Rodgers had it his way, he’d have followed Favre’s footsteps to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. Unfortunately for him, things didn’t work out that way. Now, he’s set to play what he believes will be his final NFL season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The point? Favre and Rodgers, no matter what happens in 2025, will be forever linked. Rodgers, though, can add to their oddly specific ties with a strong last hurrah. If he tosses 20 touchdown passes this year, he’ll draw even with Favre for the fourth-most seasons with 20 touchdown passes in NFL history (15).
AARON RODGERS 500 TDs
: #MIAvsNYJ on FOX
: https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/xbxCE5XZ1b— NFL (@NFL) January 5, 2025
Philip Rivers also has 15 seasons with 20 touchdown passes. The only quarterbacks with more are Tom Brady (20), Drew Brees (17) and Peyton Manning (16). Brady, Brees and Manning are also the lone signal-callers, beyond Favre, with more career passing touchdowns than Rodgers, who ranks fifth all-time. With six scoring throws in 2025, Rodgers will leap Favre and move into fourth place.
- Tom Brady – 649; Drew Brees – 571; Peyton Manning – 539
- Brett Favre – 508; Aaron Rodgers – 503
Meanwhile, Rodgers vaulting over Favre in career touchdown passes is a matter of when, not if. However, Rodgers topping his former teammate in that category guarantees nothing for Pittsburgh’s success with him under center.
The Steelers signed Rodgers because they want to compete for the Lombardi Trophy in 2025. Their other big offseason moves — trading for D.K. Metcalf and Jalen Ramsey, and extending T.J. Watt — support that notion. But like the 41-year-old Rodgers himself, Pittsburgh’s roster is old. And their collective talent is definitely worse than that of their chief rival, the Baltimore Ravens.
Todd Monken added a new terrifying wrinkle to the offense putting Derrick Henry in at Wildcat and Lamar Jackson in motion.
Look how much Lamar influenced the Steelers defense. Took out both inside linebackers. pic.twitter.com/bP2tuugUWV
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) January 13, 2025
Barring something unexpected, the Steelers (+500) aren’t going to win the AFC North. The Ravens (-150) and Cincinnati Bengals (+250) have a much better chance than them, per FanDuel Sportsbook. FanDuel gives Pittsburgh the eighth-best odds among AFC teams (+140) to make the playoffs in 2025. Finishing eighth in the AFC standings would mean the Steelers are on their couches for Wild Card Weekend.
Mike Tomlin has demonstrated an ability to take subpar rosters to the playoffs. Rodgers would be Pittsburgh’s best quarterback in a postseason game since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement. It’s possible the two make things work and go on a run to Super Bowl LIX. That said, it’s difficult to imagine that actually happening. The tandem’s first chance to prove their doubters wrong comes against the New York Jets on Sept. 7.
