The Pittsburgh Steelers are once again stuck with waiting on what Aaron Rodgers decides to do. With the new league year beginning, there is still a lot of uncertainty at the quarterback position, and waiting for a 42-year-old to choose between returning or not is borderline torture for the fan base. There was a lot of both good and bad that came from his 2025 season in Pittsburgh, but there are concerns that the bad part will only continue as he goes deeper and deeper into his 40s and his body keeps regressing.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
While making an appearance on The Justin Time Podcast, quarterback Mason Rudolph explained some of the good that came with Rodgers, especially in terms of preparation for the upcoming week.
"I think [Rodgers] just has a great process early in the week," Rudolph said. "He played the game Sunday; you could just tell. He was coming in Wednesday morning with an ultra-high level of understanding. He had watched a lot of tape. He had self-scouted ourselves the last few games. 'Hey, what are some tendencies maybe we're giving up, maybe we're showing on film?' He had done a lot of homework before the coaches -- and he was involved much more than a young player would be."
Rodgers' high football IQ and attention to detail was what made the Steelers so enamored with him in the first place, and what made them willing to wait as long as possible for him to put pen to paper and officially come to Pittsburgh. Because of all that, they are reportedly willing to wait a long time for him again, to the dismay of many fans of Steeler Nation that need the answers right now.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph in the locker room before a Week 3 matchup with the New England Patriots during the 2025 season.
Rodgers was regularly praised for how much he knew about the game, as well as how he passed that knowledge on to the rest of his teammates as much as possible. The hope is that this would be what the Steelers need to grow and develop as a whole unit for the near future, whether he returns to the team or not. The team is getting younger now, so they need the right voices to teach them how to play the game the right way.
If Rodgers does not return, it will be up to Will Howard to take what he has learned from him and develop properly. If this happens, he will likely only get one chance to prove himself, as the Steelers will look for a new future franchise quarterback in 2027 if he does not do great. The team brass has praised him nonstop, so he should get his shot sometime to prove them right at some point time in the near future.
Should The Steelers Move On Now Without Rodgers?
While Rodgers is very smart in football terms, his physical ability has been in a sharp decline, and that will only get worse as time goes on. He set numerous career-lows for relatively healthy seasons in 2025, and those numbers could still decrease. He likely would not be willing to sign as a backup to essentially be a coach for Howard, which would probably be his best way of helping Pittsburgh now and in the future.
Sebastian Foltz / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers QBs Will Howard (left) and Aaron Rodgers (right) at mandatory minicamp.
As much as the Steelers love Rodgers and appreciate what he has done for them, it may be time for them to move into the future. If they truly want to win now and get over the playoff-win hump in 2026, they might need to rely on the youth a little more. The 42-year-old was clearly out of gas in the Wild Card game back in January. Some youthful energy might be exactly what the team needs.
What do you think about Rudolph praising Rodgers' preparation each week? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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