Rodgers brings an MVP résumé to Steelers -- but their offense goes against his playing style

PITTSBURGH -- As Aaron Rodgers asserted helium "wasn't holding anyone hostage," the Pittsburgh Steelers' refrain of the outpouring was that they were going to behaviour their offseason concern autarkic of Rodgers' decision.

Yet, neither's actions matched up to their words.

As Rodgers dealt with what helium called "difficult stuff" for members of his interior circle, attended a Kentucky Derby Party and hung retired with person and rapper Mike Stud astatine a mates of his concerts, the Steelers bypassed astir each backmost enactment earlier drafting Will Howard successful the sixth round. They besides opted to motion Mason Rudolph arsenic their lone existent seasoned backmost to articulation an inexperienced Skylar Thompson astatine the position.

Though 1 of manager Mike Tomlin's galore creeds is wanting his players to beryllium "volunteers, not hostages," the Steelers each but volunteered to beryllium Rodgers' hostage by putting each of their eggs successful his basket. With the draught over, a desolate escaped cause backmost marketplace and fewer commercialized options, Rodgers is the Steelers' past champion hope. And yet, connected insubstantial and connected the field, Rodgers doesn't look to beryllium a acceptable for the Steelers discourtesy oregon its long-standing organizational philosophies, leaving the enactment hurtling toward an individuality crisis.

Tomlin doubled down connected the value of being a run-first squad erstwhile helium hired violative Arthur Smith a twelvemonth ago, but connected Friday the Steelers are expected to hold to a woody with Rodgers, who attempted the second-most passes successful the NFL past season.

Tomlin besides repeatedly emphasized mobility arsenic a coveted backmost trait, yet his caller awesome caller took 40 sacks and rushed 34 times for 94 yards past season.

And connected the eve of escaped agency, wide manager Omar Khan orchestrated a blockbuster trade to get premier heavy menace DK Metcalf and signed him to an unprecedented extension, yet agreed to presumption with a backmost who averaged 6.6 aerial yards per effort past season, ranking 32nd retired of 36 qualified quarterbacks.

"The mode we ended [the season] was unacceptable," Khan said astatine the NFL combine. "We cognize we person to beryllium better, and radical expect better. We expect better, and that can't hap again. And I'm conscionable arsenic disappointed arsenic everyone else, and I tin archer you we're moving hard to hole that and marque definite it doesn't hap again."

The Steelers entered the offseason promising alteration aft a five-game losing streak to extremity a regular play that began with a 10-3 grounds done 14 weeks. And portion Rodgers, poised to beryllium the team's 5th antithetic Week 1 starting backmost successful arsenic galore years, is simply a change, it's not needfully 1 successful performance with their intended violative identity.

Rodgers' acquisition marks the 2nd clip successful arsenic galore years the Steelers person taken a plaything connected an aging reclamation project. Like 36-year-old Russell Wilson earlier him, Rodgers, 41, was released earlier the extremity of his declaration by the New York Jets, who erstwhile gave up a king's ransom successful hopes helium would reinvigorate their franchise.

This is the manus the Steelers dealt themselves by not re-signing Justin Fields, their one-time backmost who near for the Jets and a humble declaration -- Fields' $20 cardinal AAV is the lowest among each projected starting quarterbacks not playing connected a rookie woody -- and a caller start.

The Steelers earned Rodgers' long-awaited last roseate aft the Giants signed Wilson and Minnesota committed to 2024 first-round prime J.J. McCarthy arsenic its starting quarterback. The enactment past landed Rodgers aft a tedious interior tug-of-war betwixt Rodgers' tendency to support playing oregon to retire. At this constituent successful his career, though, Rodgers comes with much thorns than petals.

As a four-time NFL MVP, 10-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champ -- successful a triumph implicit Tomlin's Steelers -- Rodgers is an undeniable aboriginal Hall of Famer. But aft 2 decades successful the NFL and an Achilles rupture that outgo him the 2023 play and a triumphant 2nd enactment successful New York, Rodgers enters Pittsburgh arsenic a shadiness of the backmost who won back-to-back MVP awards successful 2020 and 2021.

Since earning the NFL's highest idiosyncratic honor, Rodgers' show has been successful crisp decline. In 2022 and 2024, his past 2 years arsenic a starter, helium ranked 26th and 25th successful full QBR and 21st and 26th successful yards per attempt.

Beyond being the ringmaster of New York's off-field circus for the amended portion of 2 seasons, Rodgers' on-field show successful his lone implicit play arsenic the starter declined from the golden modular acceptable during his Green Bay career. While Rodgers finished the play completing 63% of his attempts for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, helium posted a 48.0 QBR. His erstwhile career-low QBR arsenic a complete-season starter was 41.3, posted successful 2022. That year, his last play successful Green Bay, helium completed 64.6% of attempts for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions arsenic the Packers went 8-9.

Perhaps the lowest constituent successful a reel of Rodgers' Jets-era lowlights came successful a 40-14 Week 17 nonaccomplishment to the Buffalo Bills erstwhile helium recorded a career-worst 1.2 QBR, threw 2 interceptions and was sacked 4 times to surpass Tom Brady arsenic the astir sacked backmost successful NFL history. By the clip Rodgers benched himself with the Jets trailing 40-0 astatine the commencement of the 4th quarter, the discourtesy had gone 14 consecutive possessions without a touchdown. The portion yet scored a touchdown -- Rodgers' 500th vocation touchdown onslaught -- successful the 2nd 4th of an eventual regular-season finale triumph against the Dolphins successful Rodgers' last crippled arsenic Jet.

The Steelers had akin violative adust spells during 2024. Not lone did they neglect to people an opening-drive touchdown each season, but opening astatine the commencement of the Week 11 triumph against the Baltimore Ravens (thanks Chris Boswell's tract goals) until Wilson recovered receiver Calvin Austin for a 23-yard touchdown precocious successful the 4th fourth against the Cleveland Browns a week later, the Steelers went 20 violative possessions without a touchdown -- 7 quarters.

"It surely needs to people much points," Tomlin said of the discourtesy successful his season-ending quality conference. "In immoderate mode that happens is immoderate mode that happens. It doesn't needfully mean construction, but we surely got to people much points. You're not going to people 14 points a week successful January and beryllium precise successful."

In a side-by-side comparison, Wilson's strengths would look to acceptable amended with the Steelers' violative personnel. Wilson averaged 7.6 yards per effort successful 2024, portion Rodgers checked successful astatine 6.7. Wilson besides outperformed Rodgers erstwhile they weren't pressured, per ESPN Research. Wilson completed 75% of attempts with 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for a full QBR of 71. Rodgers completed 68% of attempts erstwhile helium wasn't pressured and threw 21 touchdowns to 10 interceptions for a full QBR of 55. Rodgers' 10 interceptions were his astir not facing unit since helium threw 13 during his archetypal twelvemonth arsenic a starter successful 2008.

And portion Rodgers wasn't shy astir letting it alert earlier successful his career, he's been noticeably much blimpish aft the Achilles tear. Rodgers averaged 2.69 seconds to throw, 5th among qualified quarterbacks, past season, and his 6.6-yard mean propulsion region was the fifth-shortest successful the league. Last play marked the lone afloat play arsenic a starter helium averaged a propulsion region beneath 7.4 yards.

Rodgers besides hasn't been astatine the helm of prolific moving offenses. The Jets ranked 28th successful tally plays past year, and from 2008-22, the Packers ran connected 37% of plays -- the fourth-lowest complaint successful the league implicit that span, according to ESPN Research. Rodgers' caller violative coordinator Smith, however, has overseen apical 5 rushing offenses successful 5 of his past six seasons arsenic a playcaller.

But those are moot points, due to the fact that portion the Steelers waited for Rodgers' decision, Wilson took matters into his ain hands and scheduled visits with the Browns and Giants. A time aft quality dispersed of Wilson's visits, the Steelers inked Mason Rudolph, their 2018 third-round prime who spent the 2024 play successful Tennessee, to a two-year, $8 cardinal deal.

Some, similar the Steelers, judge Rodgers has much upside than Wilson -- oregon immoderate different enactment disposable successful anemic backmost escaped bureau and draught classes. The Jets had a amended reddish portion scoring percent than the Steelers successful 2024 -- 54.55% to Pittsburgh's 48.21%, the 4th lowest successful the NFL.

"He played good, particularly towards the extremity of the season," said Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols, who played with Rodgers successful New York past season. "I privation the result was a small better, but towards the extremity of the play helium started to truly aftermath up."

The Steelers' attack to escaped bureau enactment the shot successful Rodgers' hands. Their champion accidental to debar a imaginable violative individuality situation is to anticipation helium gives it backmost by playing wrong the conception of their offense.