The NFL is a brutal place. Some players have the season of their lives one year and suffer mightily in the next. Of course, by that same token, many players have had forgettable years only to go on and dominate against all expectations.
However, the older a player gets, the less likely they are to beat expectations in many situations. That said, one player set to lead an AFC North team has the backing of one NFL analyst.
AFC North QB Will Demolish Expectations, According to NFL Analyst
Speaking on a Jun. 11 edition of “Get Up,” NFL analyst Mike Greenberg backed Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of the 2025 season, setting notably high expectations.
“The advanced statistics say Aaron Rodgers was a bad quarterback last year. My eyes said otherwise. … Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have to show up,” he said. “He doesn’t have to be the face of the franchise. Doesn’t have to carry everything. They’re not asking him to teach young players how to win.”
.@Espngreeny believes Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh will “go way better than most people are anticipating” 👀 pic.twitter.com/mFYOG1RwE0
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 11, 2025
He went on to claim the Steelers would “win a bunch of games.”
“This is Mike Tomlin’s team, and they got a bunch of veterans,” he continued. “Just show up and play quarterback. I think this is going to go way better than most people are anticipating. I think he’s going to play well, and I think the Steelers are going to win a bunch of games.”
Of course, he didn’t define what “a bunch” means, but the floor in a conventional understanding of the term is at least eight, but more than likely well above .500. In the NFL, getting above .500 grants a high chance to get to the playoffs, so Greenberg appeared to hint at that as a possibility.
Aaron Rodgers, Steelers Have Given Doubters Plenty of Ammunition
Greenberg suggested that he viewed the Steelers bringing in plenty of veterans as a plus. However, it also comes with plenty of risk. Keeping or adding older players raises the chances of injury or running out of gas down the stretch of any season.
On top of that, it is a gamble as many veterans come from other systems and backgrounds, with some less willing to start from scratch than others, even though they signed on the dotted line.
Of course, that won’t be obvious until later in the season when the fatigue truly begins to set in, but that also is the time when quality teams ascend and flawed teams crater.
Lastly, many believed the New York Jets only needed Rodgers to play at a certain level below his peak to deliver a slew of wins. It didn’t quite work out that way with the Jets finishing 19th in PFSN’s Offense+ metrics, and Greenberg’s argument sounds somewhat similar (Greenberg is a Jets fan, of course).
Will Rodgers reward his believers in 2025?
