Jun 7, 2025 4 min read

By Dale Lolley

For the Observer-Reporter

newsroom@observer-reporter.com

The Steelers are finally getting their quarterback.

With the non-mandatory portion of the offseason complete, Rodgers will be with the Steelers starting Tuesday at the mandatory minicamp after signing a one-year contract with the team.

Thus ends one of the strangest courtships not just in team history, but perhaps the history of the NFL.

What will the addition of the four-time NFL MVP bring to the Steelers?

If things work out, it could be the team’s best quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger was in his prime. After all, last season, while coming back from a 2023 season wrecked by a torn Achilles’ tendon, Rodgers posted nearly 3,900 yards with 28 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions.

The Steelers haven’t gotten more than 28 passing touchdowns out of the quarterback position since 2020, when Roethlisberger threw 33 and Mason Rudolph added two more.

That was Roethlisberger’s first season back after missing 2019 with an elbow injury. And once opponents figured out he was no longer the deep-throwing gunslinger he had once been, they began to sit on the quicker routes.

The thing is, Rodgers can play the quick-release short game – it’s something he’s always excelled at – while also still throwing the ball deep.

His wheels might not be what they once were, but he’s still got what is arguably the best arm in NFL history in terms of both strength and accuracy.

Yes, Rodgers is now 41. But he got better and better as the 2024 season wore on. And his game should match up well with what offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants to do with the offense.

In 2024, Rodgers completed 71 of 112 passes utilizing play-action.

He’ll also throw to the middle of the field, something both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields disdained last season. Of Rodgers’ nearly 600 pass attempts last season, nearly 200 were to the middle of the field.

Rodgers utilizes the whole field, spreading the ball around to keep the defense on its heels.

On throws of 20 or more yards downfield last season, Rodgers was more accurate to the middle of the field, completing 12 of 19 throws for 367 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. On 20-plus-yard throws outside the numbers, Rodgers completed 13 of 44 attempts for 373 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Wilson, the Steelers’ primary starter in 2024, completed 22 of 40 deep passes outside the numbers for 713 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. He is one of the best deep throwers outside the numbers in NFL history. But over the deep middle, he was 5 of 10 for 138 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

The difference is that Rodgers also still excels at finding open players underneath coverage. On passes from 0-9 yards from the line of scrimmage, he completed nearly 75 percent of his attempts for just over 1,800 yards with 12 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

He’s not afraid to take shots when they’re there. But he’s also adept at making plays to move the chains.

Now, that doesn’t mean the Steelers are getting vintage Rodgers. There’s a reason why the Jets released him.

But much of that had more to do with their dysfunctional franchise than it did Rodgers. Don’t misunderstand. He’s not the elevator that he once was. And that’s what the Jets were expecting him to be.

With the Steelers, he’s not going to be expected to carry the offense. The expectation is that the running game will do that.

After all, the Steelers were one of only four teams in the NFL last season that ran the ball more frequently than they passed it. The others were the Ravens, the Eagles and, Rodgers’ longtime team, the Packers.

But if Rodgers can make three to four big-time throws per game – and he’s still capable of doing that – the Steelers can be successful.

It’s a risk to be sure. After all, he’s 41.

But it’s probably less of a risk than going into the season with Mason Rudolph as the 17-game starter. And with no other options presenting themselves – there was only one quarterback in this year’s draft who was a slam-dunk, first-round pick, this move makes sense.

And if it doesn’t work out, the Steelers are only invested for one year.

The plan all along has been to load up and perhaps draft a potential quarterback of the future in 2026. This move certainly doesn’t preclude the Steelers from doing that.

In the meantime, the team can try to make a run in the 2025 postseason.

The roster is built to win now. And that includes the quarterback position.

Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.