Defying age, Aaron Rodgers is slated to start for the Pittsburgh Steelers for the second-straight year. Given that he turns 43 in December, he’s obviously a limited quarterback at this point in his career. Too limited for analyst Gregg Rosenthal to have much hope in Rodgers, who has said this will be his final NFL season.
“You have to run a very specific type of offense now with Aaron Rodgers. But it’s not an offense I want to run,” Rosenthal said Wednesday on his NFL Daily podcast. “That leaves us at 32. I had Rodgers there at 31.”
Rosenthal and co-host Jon Ledyard ranked the top 32 quarterbacks in the NFL, and each had Rodgers 31st. Rosenthal’s point about having to run a specific offense is valid. Rodgers certainly can’t take too many hits, which resulted in a passing game focused on getting the ball out quickly in 2025.
When the Steelers didn’t have enough receivers who could get open quickly, the combination of those factors really suffocated the offense. With Rodgers too limited in Rosenthal and Ledyard’s eyes, the two ranked Mac Jones and Geno Smith ahead of Rodgers.
Kirk Cousins too.
“I think he’s just a little better version of where Rodgers is right now. Like neither one of them want to get hit,” Rosenthal said. “[Cousins] really was moving better, and playing better a year removed from the Achilles. So I think that was big, for him and Rodgers, but especially for Cousins last year.”
Rodgers certainly can’t carry an offense by himself anymore. However, the Steelers won’t be expecting him to do so. Pittsburgh acquired WRs Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard this offseason. Pittman is a veteran Rodgers should be able to trust and excels at getting open quickly. Bernard is a versatile receiver who can get open off the line and has a good football IQ, so he should form a quick connection with Rodgers as well.
That, plus the depth along the offensive line, should give Aaron Rodgers a better supporting cast in 2026. It definitely won’t hurt to have a familiar face in Mike McCarthy calling plays either. The Steelers will hope a revamped group and coaching staff breeds better results from Rodgers in 2026. But on his own, Rosenthal doesn’t think he’s close to being one of the better quarterbacks in the league.
