The $25 Million Gamble: Aaron Rodgers Is Back for the Steelers, And The Numbers Are Getting Hard To Ignore

Alright, so get this: Aaron Rodgers, the guy who's seen more seasons than some of our Sounders have had call-ups to the USMNT, is officially back for another run with the Pittsburgh Steelers! We're talking a one-year deal, netting him between $22 million and $23 million in base salary, with incentives that could push it to a cool $25 million. This isn't just some casual re-up, either. This is a significant bump from his $13.65 million last year. The talk for months was that Rodgers was considering one more season, and the Steelers even brought in his old coach, Mike McCarthy, to replace Mike Tomlin. It seemed almost too perfect, like a done deal from the jump. But honestly, as a fan who watches every single down, you gotta wonder: with Rodgers at 42 years old, why are the Steelers hitching their wagon to him again, especially after last year's offense?

The 2025 Offense Was a Whole Lotta "Huh?"

Let's break down what we saw last season because, spoiler alert, it wasn't exactly Super Bowl contention material. The Steelers' offense in 2025 was, to put it mildly, pretty average. They landed 17th in yards per play and 16th in points per drive. If you wanna get into the advanced stuff, they were 21st in success rate and 16th in EPA per play. That totally aligns with the eye test, right? They were a .500 team, winning games mostly when their defense forced turnovers or absolutely dominated the pass rush. And here's the kicker, the head-scratcher: for a team led by a guy like Rodgers, their passing attack was actually the weaker half of the offense. Seriously, when you compare their performance on designed runs to their dropbacks, it's clear the strength was in their O-line and backfield.

Why Did They Keep Throwing The Ball?

So, if their passing game was "notably worse" , like, only the Jets, Titans, and Browns had a lower first down/touchdown rate on dropbacks , why did the Steelers keep dropping back to throw? NFL Next Gen Stats show they had one of the highest pass rates above expectation, ranking sixth in the entire league. It's a mystery, unless you consider the one thing we all know about Rodgers: his ability to control plays at the line of scrimmage. The dude has a deep arsenal of hand signals to change route combinations on the fly, tagging routes to run plays to give himself quick throw options if the run doesn't look good. While offensive coordinator Arthur Smith's multi-TE sets and jumbo packages were still part of the identity, Rodgers clearly had a firm thumb on the scale, adjusting plays himself. Still, pass protection issues at left tackle and a glaring lack of receiver depth behind DK Metcalf definitely limited what Rodgers could do.

What's Next for the Steelers and Our Hawks?

So, what does this all mean for Pittsburgh? With McCarthy at the helm, can they really work around Rodgers' play style and somehow find success? It's a huge question mark that'll define their season. For us in the Emerald City, while the Steelers are trying to figure out if their 42-year-old quarterback can still get it done, we know our Seahawks are still firmly in the conversation, always fighting for that top spot. The NFL futures even have our Hawks "closely followed" behind the Rams, Ravens, and Bills for the Super Bowl. We'll be watching to see if this gamble pays off for the Steelers, or if it's just more fuel for our own Super Bowl hopes for the good guys in green and blue. Go Hawks!

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.