The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

By Chris Gates | The Pittsburgh Football Podcast

Every Steelers season seems to revolve around one question.

This year, it’s impossible to avoid it.

How much does Aaron Rodgers have left?

He’s 42 years old. He’s entering the final season of his career. Every conversation about the Steelers eventually comes back to him because, whether you like it or not, this season is going to rise and fall with No. 8.

And honestly?

I’m probably a little more optimistic than most people.

Aaron Rodgers Doesn’t Have to Be MVP Aaron Rodgers

I think one of the biggest mistakes people make is judging Aaron Rodgers against… Aaron Rodgers.

Of course he’s not the same quarterback he was 10 years ago.

He’s 42.

Nobody should expect him to be.

But that doesn’t mean he can’t still be a really good quarterback.

If you look strictly at last season’s numbers, it’s easy to conclude that Rodgers is washed up. But I don’t think that’s the whole story.

I think he’s still a better quarterback than what last year’s statistics suggested.

Part of that comes down to the offense he was playing in.

The Steelers’ passing game simply didn’t give him enough weapons or enough flexibility. Defenses could key on DK Metcalf because there wasn’t much else that consistently threatened them through the air. Arthur Smith’s offense had some interesting wrinkles early in the season, but as the year went on it became obvious that the heavy tight end usage wasn’t some revolutionary strategy.

It was necessity.

There just weren’t enough legitimate receiving options.

The Supporting Cast Is Finally Better

That’s one of the biggest reasons I think Rodgers has a chance to outperform expectations this season.

Now he has real options.

• DK Metcalf is still your No. 1 receiver.
• Michael Pittman Jr. gives the Steelers a legitimate No. 2.
• Germie Bernard has a chance to become a legitimate No. 3 receiver right away.

Instead of forcing everything through one player, Rodgers should be able to distribute the football to multiple weapons.

That changes everything.

Defenses can’t simply roll coverage toward DK Metcalf every snap.

The running game becomes more dangerous because defenses have to respect the passing attack.

The offensive line doesn’t have to hold blocks forever because the ball should come out quicker.

One improvement creates another.

That’s why I’m optimistic.

The Mike McCarthy Factor Matters

The coaching change also plays a huge role.

Mike McCarthy has coached Aaron Rodgers before.

That familiarity matters.

More importantly, McCarthy has consistently produced productive offenses throughout his career.

You can criticize different parts of Mike McCarthy’s résumé if you want, but generating offense has rarely been one of them.

Compare that to where the Steelers have been offensively over the last several years.

There have been too many offensive coordinator hires that simply haven’t worked.

• Matt Canada.
• Arthur Smith.

The offense has spent years searching for an identity.

Now Rodgers walks into a system built by someone who already knows how to maximize his strengths.

That’s another reason I think we’re going to see better football from him than we did a year ago.

Rodgers Looks Like He’s Having Fun Again

There’s another part of this that isn’t statistical.

It just feels different.

Rodgers has always been a free-spirited personality, but this offseason he genuinely looks like someone who’s enjoying football again.

• He’s largely stepped away from social media.
• We’ve seen him reconnect with family.
• His appearances on The Pat McAfee Show have felt relaxed.

He doesn’t look like someone carrying the weight of the football world on his shoulders anymore.

He’s just playing football.

Does that guarantee anything?

Of course not.

But I don’t think it hurts either.

When you combine that mindset with better coaching and better weapons, I think there’s every reason to believe Rodgers can have a better season than he did last year.

I don’t think he’ll finish as a top-five quarterback.

I don’t think he’ll even finish in the top 10.

But I absolutely think he can finish somewhere in that 10-to-15 range among NFL quarterbacks.

And honestly, that’s all the Steelers need.

You don’t need an MVP quarterback to win football games.

You need an efficient one.

The Real Concern Isn’t QB1

Ironically, my biggest concern at quarterback isn’t Aaron Rodgers.

It’s everything behind him.

There’s been a lot of discussion throughout training camp about the backup quarterback competition.

Personally, I think it’s being overstated.

I don’t really buy the idea that Will Howard and Drew Allar are locked in some dramatic battle for the No. 2 job.

From everything we’ve heard, Mike McCarthy has essentially had to tear Drew Allar’s mechanics down to the studs and rebuild him from scratch.

That’s not a criticism.

It’s just reality.

That sounds like a developmental project.

And that’s exactly what he should be.

I think the Steelers would be doing him a disservice by rushing that process.

They already invested a third-round pick in him. At this point, they might as well give him the time to develop correctly.

If there’s a legitimate backup competition, I think it’s between Will Howard and Mason Rudolph.

I Don’t Really Understand the Mason Rudolph Plan

This is where I probably differ from a lot of Steelers fans.

I don’t really understand why Mason Rudolph is still here.

That’s not because I dislike Mason Rudolph.

It’s because we already know exactly who he is.

• We know what he CAN do.
• We know what he CAN’T do.

If Aaron Rodgers gets hurt this season, the Steelers aren’t making a Super Bowl run with Mason Rudolph.

They’re probably not making one with Will Howard either.

But at least with Howard, you learn something.

He’s an unknown.

If the season goes sideways because Rodgers gets injured, I’d much rather spend the remaining games finding out whether Will Howard has anything than watching Mason Rudolph be exactly who we’ve already seen him be.

If it were my depth chart, I’d have:

1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Will Howard
3. Drew Allar

And honestly, I’d be looking to move Mason Rudolph before the season if another team suddenly needed a veteran backup because of an injury in the pre-season.

The Entire Season Hinges on One Thing

As optimistic as I am about Aaron Rodgers, there’s one unavoidable reality.

He has to stay healthy.

That’s the biggest variable for the entire Steelers season.

If Rodgers stays on the field, I think this offense has a chance to surprise people.

If he misses significant time, everything changes immediately.

The drop-off from Rodgers to the rest of the quarterback room is enormous.

The Steelers have built a team that I think can win the AFC North.

But that possibility depends almost entirely on Aaron Rodgers being available every Sunday.

Final Thoughts

I understand why so many people are skeptical.

A 42-year-old quarterback is never a comfortable bet.

But I also think people are overlooking how much better the environment around Aaron Rodgers is this season.

The receiving corps is deeper.

The offensive coaching is stronger.

The scheme should fit him better.

And Rodgers himself looks like someone who’s genuinely enjoying football again.

That doesn’t guarantee a magical final season.

But it gives me a lot more confidence than I had heading into last year.

If Aaron Rodgers stays healthy, I think the Steelers have enough at quarterback to win the AFC North and finally win a playoff game.

If he doesn’t?

Well…that’s why quarterback is still the biggest storyline of the entire 2026 season.