The exhausting timeline of the Aaron Rodgers saga continues. For the third straight offseason, Rodgers has dominated NFL headlines — first with his long flirtation with the New York Jets, then the broken promises and OTA drama last year. Now? More of the same.
After being released by New York, the four-time MVP has drawn interest from multiple teams. The New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, and Pittsburgh Steelers have all reportedly reached out. But if the latest reports are true, he has locked in on the Steelers and could announce his decision on an episode of Pat McAfee show.
NFL Analyst Reveals Potential Date of Aaron Rodgers’ Free Agency Decision
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk recently wrote about Rodgers’ situation and said it was a “safe bet” that Rodgers had locked in on the Steelers after his six-hour visit to the franchise.
“As one source in the general vicinity of those who would be in a position to know said Sunday, it’s a “safe bet” that Rodgers eventually will sign with the Steelers.”
Speaking of when the decision would be announced, Florio proposed the April 9 show of “Big Night Out with Pat McAfee and Friends” in Pittsburgh. Rodgers has appeared on every Tuesday’s episode of the show during the playing season, and it would be fitting only to announce his decision to join the Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh’s offense struggled last season, ranking 25th in PFSN’s Offense+ metric. Justin Fields and Russell Wilson both saw time under center. According to PFSN’s QB+ metric, both ranked ahead of Rodgers — Fields would’ve, had he met the games played threshold.
Still, Rodgers showed some signs of life in 2024. He threw for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions.
While Rodgers was far from the MVP form he displayed with the Green Bay Packers, he performed admirably for a Jets roster that was admittedly lacking in several key regards. His numbers did not result in wins, but he did record a grade of 72.2 (21st in the NFL), according to PFSN’s QB+ metric.
While unspectacular, he did elevate the Jets’ offensive grade from 49.6 (32nd in the NFL) in 2023 to 72.7 in 2024 (19th in the NFL), according to PFSN’s Offense+ metric. In fact, their 2024 grade was the franchise’s highest since at least 2019, as far back as PFSN’s Offense+ data dates.
The Jets’ next-best season came in 2021 (66.3, 26th), while 2019-2020 and 2022-2023 all saw finishes of either 31st or 32nd in the NFL in their respective seasons, showing the impact Rodgers had on the team’s offense.
However, at his age (41) and with his restricted mobility due to his Achilles injury — which heavily limited New York’s offense — there is still doubt about to what degree he can elevate an offense.
If Pittsburgh is the place to go, Rodgers will have to be more willing to throw the ball deep and to the outside with weapons like George Pickens and DK Metcalf, two talented receivers that admittedly don’t mesh well with Rodgers’ skill set/preferences.
