Aaron Rodgers will not be playing for the New York Jets in 2025. The team put out an official statement last month signaling their intent to move on from the veteran.
To say the Rodgers experiment in New York didn’t work out would be an understatement. The veteran suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in his first game with the team in 2023, and then the team struggled to a 5-12 record in 2024.
Now, the veteran will look to catch on elsewhere and continue his storied career. There are several quarterback-needy teams, but Rodgers may prefer to go somewhere with a chance to contend immediately.
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports recently identified logical landing spots for Rodgers. The Steelers stand out as a fit that makes too much sense, and Podell offered the following regarding that match:
The heat is on longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin in terms of public perception like it never has before in Pittsburgh after the team’s latest postseason letdown. The Steelers are on a six-game postseason losing streak with their last win coming in the 2016 AFC divisional round at the Kansas City Chiefs, a run that is tied with the Miami Dolphins for the longest active streak in the league. A glaring part of this losing streak is Tomlin’s side of the ball, the defense, noticeably struggling. Pittsburgh has surrendered at least 28 points in all six games of this playoff losing streak, which is the longest streak in Steelers history. A capable quarterback can help ease the burden on the defense come playoff time.
The Steelers have a decent foundation with a top-10 scoring defense (20.4 points per game allowed in 2024, eighth best in NFL) led by edge rusher T.J. Watt. Pittsburgh was able to go 10-7 and reach the postseason while starting Justin Fields and a less mobile Russell Wilson at quarterback. Some of the Steelers’ woes could be solved simply by acquiring a more capable quarterback. Even though the Jets struggled last season, Rodgers played like a top-10 quarterback in terms of passing yards and passing touchdowns as mentioned above.
In 2024, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. The quarterback isn’t as mobile as he used to be, but still showed an ability to improvise and make big throws.
The Steelers have to find a solution at the quarterback position. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields both started games for the team in 2024, but both are headed for free agency and it’s far from a sure thing either are back in 2025.
Neither Wilson nor Fields performed well enough in 2024 to solidify their spot as a starter. Rodgers, on the other hand, while not as impressive as he once was, was still a quality starter last season.
As Podell explained, the Steelers have a playoff-caliber roster and ended with a 10-7 record even with mediocre quarterback play. Mike Tomlin desperately needs to taste playoff success again, and bringing in a Super Bowl champion like Rodgers could do exactly that.
If the Jets cut Rodgers with a post-June 1 designation, the team would save $9.5 million against the cap while incurring $14 million in dead money.
Over the Cap projects the Steelers to have just under $60 million in cap space this offseason, so the team would be accommodate Rodgers’ potential contract and still make upgrades elsewhere.
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