Aaron Rodgers remains a free agent after officially being released from the New York Jets on March 12, the first day of the NFL’s new league year. While the legendary Green Bay Packers quarterback has been linked to several teams, nothing has materialized over the past two months.
However, the Packers’ head coach, Matt LaFleur, is “anticipating” him signing with one of his AFC opponents and argues the pairing makes the most sense.
Matt LaFleur Won’t Be Surprised if Aaron Rodgers Signs With Steelers
After several teams that Rodgers had been linked to went in other directions to fill their quarterback vacancies, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain the only likely option, as their quarterback room consists of Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and Will Howard. And LaFleur won’t be surprised if Rodgers does sign with the Steelers.
“Well, I’m anticipating that happening,” LaFleur said on NBC when asked for his reaction to Rodgers potentially joining the Steelers. “So, I won’t be surprised.”
There were rumors that Rodgers was contemplating retirement, but LaFleur can’t imagine not seeing him playing football this season.
“I just can’t see him not playing the game of football this year, and obviously it makes the most sense,” he added.
LaFleur isn’t the only one who is expecting Rodgers to sign with the Steelers. Sportswriter Ian O’Connor believes an agreement is already in place between the Steelers and the former NFL champion, with a potential announcement arriving as soon as the end of the month.
“I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told [the Steelers], ‘Listen, I’m gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction, where I can give you my all.’ So that’s where I think he is.”
A verbal agreement between the two sides would explain the Steelers’ insistence on not adding any quarterback for the first five rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft, especially with potential QB1 Shedeur Sanders still on the board.
Despite Howard’s addition to the roster, the team projects him as a backup in Year 1. On the other hand, the last anyone heard from Rodgers directly was in his first appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” this offseason. At the time, he made it clear that his personal commitments were delaying his free agency decision.
How Effective Can Aaron Rodgers Be in 2025?
If Rodgers were to sign with the Steelers this summer, what would that mean for Pittsburgh, the AFC, and the NFL as a whole?
While his Hall of Fame legacy is cemented and his status as one of the greatest to ever play the game is intact, his best days of football have seemingly been behind him. Take the three snaps he played in 2023 away, and Rodgers has played just 17 games over the past two seasons.
And his 17-game sample size last season with the New York Jets is a better indicator of the level of play he may bring to the Steelers.
Looking at PFSN’s NFL QB+ metric, which isolates QB play independent of their surroundings, we can analyze what Rodgers’ potential signing with Pittsburgh could do to the league.
On the year, Rodgers finished with a QB+ mark of 72.2, or a C-, which ranked him 21st among all 39 qualified quarterbacks.
KEEP READING: Ranking All 39 QBs from the 2024 NFL Season
Rodgers had a -0.02 EPA (expected points added) per dropback (27th), ranked 36th from a clean pocket (0.07 EPA/DB), and converted just 33.5% of the time on third down (29th) in New York last year.
For LaFleur, if that level of play is what Rodgers brings to the table, the Packers should be able to handle their AFC opponent this year. However, the Steelers will certainly hope their system and their surrounding talent will elevate Rodgers back to the level he once performnced at with the Packers.
