Father Time is undefeated, particularly in a sport as punishing as soccer. However at 41, Aaron Rodgers is doing the whole lot he can to defy the clock and make one final climb to the summit of NFL greatness. He’s been there a number of instances earlier than, and Pittsburgh Steelers OC Arthur Smith thinks he has all of the instruments to do it once more.
“Definitely, he’s not 25 years previous anymore,” Smith mentioned through The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. “However he’s in unimaginable situation…He’s throwing on the transfer, and he’s making some throws on the run which can be ‘wow’ sort of throws that I don’t assume many quarterbacks are making.
“I believe it’s all nonetheless there. He’s definitely going to have the ability to escape the pocket, lengthen performs for us when he must. The entire motion passing recreation, it’s alive and nicely with him.”
Rodgers has many nice traits as a quarterback, however one which made him particular in his prime was his mobility within the pocket and talent to increase performs and ship astoundingly correct throws on the transfer. Smith nonetheless sees that high quality in his play.
After a 2023 Achilles damage, Rodgers was extra stationary within the pocket in 2024. He would eliminate the ball rapidly to keep away from taking an excessive amount of punishment and also you hardly ever noticed him on the transfer exterior the pocket. That began to vary by the tip of the season. Past his Achilles damage, Aaron Rodgers handled a handful of different bumps and bruises that hampered his motion. This yr, he appears to be beginning with a clear slate of well being.
Veterans usually get a number of days off all through coaching camp, however the Steelers have solely given Rodgers one relaxation day to this point. He has dealt with that nicely, particularly within the stifling warmth all through camp. To his credit score, he was extraordinarily energetic in his coaching with a 90-day program at Proactive Sports activities Efficiency main as much as camp.
Bob Labriola of Steelers.com famous that Rodgers is extra functionally cell within the pocket than Russell Wilson was final season. The Steelers haven’t had a quarterback able to navigating a pocket since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
And the bodily abilities are solely half of what could make Rodgers profitable. His psychological processing and 20 years of expertise ought to assist make up for any small drop off in bodily readiness because the season wears on.
Is he going to take off working for large beneficial properties? Most likely not, however the narrative that he’s too previous to maneuver successfully is unsuitable. Arthur Smith can vouch for that after three weeks of coaching camp.
