3 Aaron Rodgers bold predictions for resurgent season with Steelers

Aaron Rodgers may have needed weeks to make up his mind, but he will be under center for the Steelers this season. The veteran quarterback has decided that he will play his last season of NFL football at the age of 42. There are many reasons why Rodgers probably should have made a decision to hang up his shoulder pads and call it a career. However, his accuracy and skill passing the football has given him an edge that has allowed him to play for 21 years.

Rodgers wants one more try at the brass ring, and while it is likely a long shot, he feels good enough about his game to give it one last try. While there are many things that one can question about Rodgers, he is clearly a man of intelligence and ability.

His attitude may rub some observers the wrong way, but he makes up for his ego-driven persona with a list of accomplishments that are substantial.

Start off with the fact that Rodgers in the only quarterback in NFL history with more than 500 touchdown passes and passer rating of 100 or better. There is no other quarterback with 400 TD passes and that kind of passer rating.

Additionally, he is a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time All-Pro quarterback, a 10-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl winner and a Super Bowl MVP.

He is thoroughly accomplished in his chosen profession. He is not universally loved but his career is deserving of maximum respect. Rodgers also knows his own worth, and he can bring a high level of accomplishment to his final season as an NFL quarterback.

Rodgers will have a season of accomplishment and throw 25 TD passes

It is not a matter of Rodgers turning back the clock now that he gets to work with head coach Mike McCarthy once again. Rodgers had his best seasons with the Green Bay Packers when McCarthy was the head coach.

McCarthy was smart enough to realize he had one of the most talented quarterbacks in the history of the game and he let him do what he wanted on the football field. During the 2011 season, Rodgers completed 343 of 502 passes for 4,643 yards with 45 touchdown passes and just 6 interceptions. Rodgers was 27 years old that season and he can’t turn the clock back, but he can depend on his accuracy and his partnership with wide receiver D.K. Metcalf to have a solid season.

In the past, the Steelers were as consistent as a metronome under head coach Mike Tomlin. They will change their attitude and game plan under McCarthy. It may not be smooth sailing all the way through, but the Steelers will not be as conservative a team as they were under Tomlin. It will give Rodgers a chance to have several special games.
He will have at least three games where he eclipses the 300-yard mark passing and throws at least 3 TD passes.

In addition to Metcalf, he has other weapons. They include wideout Michael Pittman, tight end Pat Freiermuth and running backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle. Rodgers will get the most out of his crew. Metcalf will have 1,200-plus receiving yards and 10 TDs, and the rest of the crew will give the Steelers a better offense than they have had in years.

Rodgers’ final season will be a success from a team, statistical and personal point of view.

Steelers will make the playoffs — and Rodgers will win a postseason game

The Steelers were an accomplished team throughout Tomlin’s tenure, and that included his final years. Pittsburgh made the playoffs in five of his last six seasons, but they did not win any of the postseason games they played those years.

Part of the reason for that was their predictable ways. The Steelers were easy for opposing defenses to figure out and the last thing they would do was try risky throws that would leave them vulnerable to interceptions. Rodgers will go for the big throws from time to time, but he will not take unnecessary risks.

He will have more of a chance to be creative with McCarthy at the controls than he did with Tomlin. The Steelers will not turn into a wild, gun-slinging team, but Rodgers will throw a 30-yard pass on 2nd-and-7 or more, rather than look to grind out a first down.

This will help the Steelers win a few games by stretching out a lead rather than nursing it. The Steelers will go into the postseason with a head of steam and win a playoff game by double-digits and feel good about themselves.

“When the decision was made to hire Mike (McCarthy),” Rodgers said, per Mike DeFabo of The Athletic. “I started opening my mind back up to coming back. When the talks became more serious, I was thinking, ‘Wow, that’d be a really interesting thought to come back and play with Mike.’ ”

Winning more than a Wild Card game is probably too much to ask, but they will get that playoff win this season.

Rodgers will get the message that the 2026 season needs to be his last

Rodgers has proven to be one of the most talented passers in the history of the game. He will still display much of that talent even though he is 42.

However, Rodgers will not be able to avoid all of the hits that he could when he was in his 30s. The years have taken away the speed and quickness that he once had. He used to be elusive and a key threat to run the ball, but no longer. He may have the know-how to escape from time to time, but he will take several big hits. The season will have more than its share of physical pain that Rodgers will have to endure

The lesson will be driven home by those painful shots he will absorb. This needs to be his last year and there can be no getting around that decision when the 2026-27 season is completed.

He will miss playing quarterback in the NFL, but the years have taken their toll.

The post 3 Aaron Rodgers bold predictions for resurgent season with Steelers appeared first on ClutchPoints.