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Brooke Pryor
PITTSBURGH — As Aaron Rodgers asserted he “wasn’t holding anybody hostage,” the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ chorus of the spring was that they had been going to conduct their offseason enterprise impartial of Rodgers’ choice.
But neither’s actions matched their phrases.
As Rodgers handled what he known as “troublesome stuff” for members of his internal circle, attended a Kentucky Derby celebration and frolicked with good friend and rapper Mike. at a few his live shows, the Steelers bypassed practically each quarterback possibility earlier than drafting Will Howard within the sixth spherical. In addition they opted to signal Mason Rudolph as their lone true veteran quarterback to affix an inexperienced Skylar Thompson on the place.
Although considered one of coach Mike Tomlin’s many creeds is wanting his gamers to be “volunteers, not hostages,” the Steelers all however volunteered to be Rodgers’ hostage by placing all of their eggs in his basket. With the draft over, a desolate free agent quarterback market and few commerce choices, Rodgers is the Steelers’ final finest hope. And but, on paper and on the sphere, Rodgers would not seem like a match for the Steelers’ offense or its longstanding organizational philosophies, leaving the franchise hurtling towards an id disaster.
Tomlin doubled down on the significance of being a run-first group when he employed offensive Arthur Smith a yr in the past, however on Friday the Steelers are anticipated to comply with a take care of Rodgers, who tried the second-most passes within the NFL final season.
Tomlin additionally repeatedly emphasised mobility as a coveted quarterback trait, but his new signal-caller took 40 sacks and rushed 34 instances for 94 yards final season.
And normal supervisor Omar Khan orchestrated a blockbuster commerce to accumulate premier deep risk DK Metcalf on the eve of free company and signed him to an unprecedented extension, but now has agreed to phrases with a quarterback who averaged 6.6 air yards per try final season, rating thirty second out of 36 certified signal-callers.
“The way in which we ended [the season] was unacceptable,” Khan stated on the NFL mix. “We all know we now have to be higher, and other people anticipate higher. We anticipate higher, and that may’t occur once more. And I am simply as dissatisfied as everybody else, and I can inform you we’re working onerous to repair that and ensure it would not occur once more.”
The Steelers entered the offseason promising change after a five-game dropping streak to finish an everyday season that started with a 10-3 report via 14 weeks. And whereas Rodgers, poised to be the group’s fifth completely different Week 1 beginning quarterback in as a few years, is a change, it isn’t essentially one in live performance with their supposed offensive id.
Rodgers’ acquisition marks the second time in as a few years the Steelers have taken a swing on a reclamation venture. Like 36-year-old Russell Wilson earlier than him, Rodgers, 41, was launched earlier than the tip of his contract by the New York Jets, who as soon as gave up a king’s ransom in hopes he would reinvigorate their franchise.
That is the hand the Steelers dealt themselves by not re-signing Justin Fields, their onetime quarterback who left for the Jets and a modest contract — his $20 million common annual worth is the bottom amongst all projected beginning quarterbacks not taking part in on a rookie deal — and a contemporary begin.
The Steelers earned Rodgers’ long-awaited ultimate rose after the Giants signed Wilson and Minnesota dedicated to 2024 first-round decide J.J. McCarthy as its beginning quarterback. Pittsburgh then landed Rodgers after a tedious inner tug-of-war between Rodgers’ want to maintain taking part in or to retire. At this level in his profession, although, Rodgers comes with extra thorns than petals.
As a four-time NFL MVP, 10-time Professional Bowler and Tremendous Bowl champion — in a win over Tomlin’s Steelers — Rodgers is an simple future Corridor of Famer. However after 20 years within the NFL and an Achilles rupture that value him the 2023 season and a triumphant second act in New York, Rodgers enters Pittsburgh as a shadow of the quarterback who gained back-to-back MVP awards in 2020 and 2021.
Since final incomes the NFL’s highest particular person honor, Rodgers’ efficiency has been in sharp decline. In 2022 and 2024, his previous two seasons as a starter, he ranked twenty sixth and twenty fifth in QBR and twenty first and twenty sixth in yards per try.
Past being the ringmaster of New York’s off-field circus for the higher a part of two seasons, Rodgers’ on-field efficiency in his lone full season because the starter declined from the gold customary set throughout his Inexperienced Bay profession. Although Rodgers completed the season finishing 63% of his makes an attempt for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, he posted a 48.0 QBR. His profession low QBR as a complete-season starter was 41.3 in 2022. That yr, his ultimate season in Inexperienced Bay, he accomplished 64.6% of makes an attempt for 3,695 yards, 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions because the Packers went 8-9.
Maybe the bottom level in a reel of Rodgers’ Jets-era lowlights got here in a 40-14 Week 17 loss to the Buffalo Payments, when he recorded a career-worst 1.2 QBR, threw two interceptions and was sacked 4 instances to surpass Tom Brady because the most-sacked quarterback in NFL historical past. By the point Rodgers benched himself with the Jets trailing 40-0 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, the offense had gone 14 straight possessions with out a landing. The unit lastly scored a landing — Rodgers’ five hundredth profession TD strike — within the second quarter of an eventual regular-season finale win in opposition to the Dolphins in Rodgers’ final sport as Jet.
The Steelers had related offensive dry spells throughout 2024. They failed to attain an opening-drive landing all season. From the beginning of the Week 11 win in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens (due to Chris Boswell‘s discipline targets) till Wilson discovered receiver Calvin Austin for a 23-yard rating late within the fourth quarter in opposition to the Cleveland Browns every week later, the Steelers went 20 offensive possessions — seven quarters — with out a landing.
“It actually wants to attain extra factors,” Tomlin stated of the offense in his season-ending information convention. “In no matter means that occurs is no matter means that occurs. It would not essentially imply building, however we actually acquired to attain extra factors. You are not going to attain 14 factors every week in January and be very profitable.”
In a side-by-side comparability, Wilson’s strengths would appear to suit higher with the Steelers’ offensive personnel.
Wilson averaged 7.6 yards per try in 2024, whereas Rodgers checked in at 6.7. Wilson additionally outperformed Rodgers after they weren’t pressured, per ESPN Analysis. Wilson accomplished 75% of makes an attempt with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions for a QBR of 71. Rodgers accomplished 68% of makes an attempt when he wasn’t pressured and threw 21 touchdowns to 10 interceptions for a QBR of 55. Rodgers’ 10 interceptions had been his most not going through strain since he threw 13 throughout his first yr as a starter in 2008.
And though Rodgers wasn’t shy about letting it fly earlier in his profession, he has been noticeably extra conservative for the reason that Achilles tear. He averaged 2.69 seconds to throw, fifth amongst certified quarterbacks, final season, and his 6.6-yard common throw distance was the fifth shortest within the league. 2024 marked the one full season as a starter that he averaged a throw distance beneath 7.4 yards.
Rodgers additionally hasn’t been on the helm of prolific working offenses. The Jets ranked twenty eighth in run performs final yr, and from 2008 to 2022, the Packers ran on 37% of performs — the fourth-lowest price within the league over that span, in accordance with ESPN Analysis. Rodgers’ new offensive coordinator, Smith, nonetheless, has overseen top-five speeding offenses in 5 of his previous six seasons as a playcaller.
However these are moot factors, as a result of whereas the Steelers waited for Rodgers’ choice, Wilson took issues into his personal palms and scheduled visits with the Browns and Giants. A day after information unfold of Wilson’s visits, the Steelers inked Rudolph, their 2018 third-round decide who spent the 2024 season in Tennessee, to a two-year, $8 million deal.
Some, just like the Steelers, imagine Rodgers has extra upside than Wilson — or every other possibility accessible in weak quarterback free company and draft courses. The Jets had a greater crimson zone scoring share than the Steelers in 2024 — 54.55% to Pittsburgh’s 48.21%, the fourth lowest within the NFL.
“He performed good, particularly in the direction of the tip of the season,” stated Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols, who performed with Rodgers in New York final season. “I want the end result was just a little higher, however in the direction of the tip of the season he began to actually get up.”
The Steelers’ strategy to free company put the ball in Rodgers’ palms. Their finest likelihood to keep away from a possible offensive id disaster is to hope he offers it again by taking part in inside the assemble of their offense.
