While many people expected last season to be Aaron Rodgers’ final year in the NFL, he’s returned for 2026. He’s set for one more year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, hoping to improve upon what he did last year. However, some people don’t love that the Steelers are running things back with Rodgers. He’s 42 years old, and few quarterbacks have played well at that age. Miami Dolphins All-Pro linebacker Jordyn Brooks explained, though, what still makes Rodgers an effective quarterback.
“When you’re facing a guy like him, you really don’t want to listen [at the line of scrimmage] because he’s super experienced, super smart,” Brooks said Tuesday on Film Watchers’ YouTube channel. “He plays a lot of games. He might say something to throw you off, or he might do something to throw you off. You don’t want to get too tied in on what he’s talking about because he’s playing the game within the game.
“He’s playing chess… You really just want to play him honest… At this point in his career, he’s probably not going to take it off the top like he used to. But his superpower is his knowledge of the game, so he’s still effective in that way. Really gotta be on your toes.”
Brooks’ Dolphins faced the Steelers in Week 15 last year, and Rodgers had one of his best games with Pittsburgh. He completed 23 of his 27 pass attempts for 224 yards and two touchdowns. Brooks’ performance wasn’t too shabby, either, posting 13 total tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one pass defensed.
Unfortunately for the linebacker, his efforts weren’t enough for his team to win. The Dolphins lost 28-15, and even that score doesn’t really tell the full story of the game. The Dolphins scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, so it was a convincing win for the Steelers.
That wasn’t the only time that Brooks had faced Rodgers, though. He also has experience playing against the quarterback in his prime. Brooks was with the Seattle Seahawks in 2021 when they battled Rodgers’ Green Bay Packers.
The quarterback took home his fourth MVP award that year, but he didn’t have his best day against the Seahawks. While the Packers won 17-0, Rodgers completed 23 of 37 pass attempts for 292 yards and one interception. Brooks had a solid day, though, recording 13 total tackles and one tackle for loss.
Brooks faced both versions of Rodgers, and he found that the quarterback has different ways of beating teams. Yes, his days competing for MVP awards are over. However, Rodgers can still be a good quarterback. The Steelers could be much worse off under center. Players with his level of experience don’t grow on trees.
