Aaron Rodgers is officially playing a final season in the NFL, and he has alluded to retiring following the conclusion of the 2025 season. That said, he is going to attempt to win one more championship with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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The issue right now is figuring out an offense that is tailor-made for Rodgers, especially in one offseason. Reports have been coming in regarding the offensive structure with Rodgers behind center, and it appears he and Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith have yet to figure out the “middle ground” for what offense will work.
Rodgers is used to a pass-happy type of offense, which makes sense considering his skill set as a passer. The issue is that he is heading into the 2025 season at 41 years old, and he can only take so much damage.
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Rodgers was visibly shaken up in 2024 after a less-than-stellar offensive line for the New York Jets led to his taking too many shots. Now, there is likely going to be some give and take with Rodgers needing to hand the ball off a bit more.
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo discussed the blend of Rodgers and Smith’s influence and how both are attempting to find that “middle ground” with one another.
“Rodgers and Smith plan to get together this summer to work through the playbook and make tweaks to fit the new QB. But already, I think there’s more middle ground than most people realize.
We’ll have to wait to see how it looks in training camp, but I’d imagine the Steelers will take many of the quick game concepts from the West Coast offense. That will help get the ball out of Rodgers’ hand, keep him upright more often and take advantage of his quick release. Think lots of quick slants to DK Metcalf. Then, they’ll also have plenty of Shanahan-style concepts like wide-zone runs and play-action passing built off of those runs,” DeFabo wrote.
Additional reports have indicated that Rodgers and Smith have yet to finalize the tweaks on the offense, but that should be the case soon, considering training camp is right around the corner.
The Steelers need to find an offense that plays to the strengths of Rodgers while also ensuring that the run game does not go stagnant. Pittsburgh did lose Najee Harris, but they got a stud in Jaylen Warren.
Tight end Jonnu Smith was also acquired via trade, which aids Rodgers in having another weapon to throw the ball to, and someone to block and open up run lanes for Warren.
Pittsburgh has the right players, and things will just need to come together so the team can make another trip back to the postseason.
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