With all due respect to wide receiver DK Metcalf, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ signing of four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers was arguably the team’s biggest acquisition of the offseason.
Rodgers has made it clear that 2025 will likely be his last season, after which he plans to live a private life out of the public eye while leaving the NFL behind.
Because of those comments he made during an appearance on the “Pat McAfee Show,” some have questioned whether or not Rodgers’ heart is still with football, and whether or not he has enough left in the tank to help the Steelers snap their streak of eight straight seasons without a playoff win.
But for as many doubters as Rodgers has, he seemingly has one big believer in former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, who led Pittsburgh to 149 wins, 10 playoff appearances, eight division titles, six AFC Championship Game appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and one Super Bowl championship during his 15-year tenure with the team.
During a recent appearance on the “Dan Patrick Show,” Cowher laid out his expectations for Rodgers and how he should run the Steelers’ offense.
“I think Aaron’s at a point where he knows, you don’t want him to be throwing the ball 40 times a game, at this point,” Cowher said. “You want Aaron Rodgers to be healthy going into the playoffs — hopefully you get to the playoffs.
“I think in the meantime you’ve created a balance on your football team and not just relying on his arm throughout the course of four quarters. Listen, you can turn the ball over to him at the end of the half, end of a game and know he’s been there before. I think he will operate that very efficiently. Again, I think it’s going to be a matter of getting comfortable within this system with the players he has around him.”
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Cowher also added that while the Steelers seem like a much better fit for Rodgers than the New York Jets were, that also comes with the pressure to perform well and win games.
“Eight years, no playoff wins — there is a degree of urgency in that building, no question about it,” Cowher continued. “They understand that that’s part of it. Part of that is winning your division…you want to win your division first, and I think that’s what’s first and foremost when you look at what they’ve done.”
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