Positional preview: Quarterback's in Rodgers' hands
Thanks to the work done by Omar Khan and the front office during the offseason, the Steelers have a roster that has at least a puncher's chance in a loaded AFC North. But, in another season with a brand new quarterback room, the Steelers need more from under center.
Welcome to the first edition of our 2025 positional preview, in which we will break down the roster to get you ready for that wonderful first training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
Throughout this series, we'll take a look back at how each position fared in 2024, how that position was addressed in the offseason and wrap up with how it looks heading into 2025. Of course, the roster can still go through changes between now and when it's cut to 53 players. But, this will offer an understanding of how the team is shaping up.
We're starting with quarterback because, well, it's obviously the most important position. And, in order to succeed in today's NFL, the quarterback has to be productive and efficient.
2024 IN REVIEW
Though it wasn't the initial plan, the Steelers went into 2024 with a completely different quarterback room than 2023. After the Steelers signed Russell Wilson in free agency, Kenny Pickett demanded a trade, which the team honored, then immediately acquired Justin Fields from the Bears. And despite his heroics that led to a playoff berth in 2023, Mason Rudolph was never offered a contract, and he left for the Titans in free agency.
Wilson was slated to be the starter, but sustained a calf injury during the team's conditioning test at the start of training camp, then aggravated it shortly before the start of the season. That led to Fields starting the first six games of the season, in which the team went 4-2. While Fields was a turnover machine in Chicago, he turned it over only twice during these six games, throwing one interception and losing one fumble.
While Fields' performance was encouraging, it wasn't enough for Mike Tomlin, who wanted to see the quarterback play go to another level. The offense averaged 20.7 points per game with Fields at quarterback. To truly compete, and with all AFC North games still remaining on the schedule, Tomlin knew they had to score more. Thus, he went "Lone Ranger," as put by Fox's Jay Glazer, and switched to Wilson.
The immediate payoff was worth it. In Wilson's first seven games at the helm, the offense's production drastically increased to 28.4 points per game, and the team lost just one time -- in a snowstorm at Cleveland on a Thursday night. Wilson had some big performances, including wins over the Commanders and Ravens, and beat Joe Burrow and the Bengals in a 44-38 shootout, throwing for 414 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. A win at home against the Browns the following week improved the team's record to 10-3, making them clear favorites to win the AFC North. Wilson had helped take the top off defenses with his patented moon ball, which gave Tomlin an offense more capable of explosive plays, which is exactly what he was looking for.
Then the wheels fell off. No, they were blown off. Three of the Steelers' final four games were to be played in an 11-day period: At. Philadelphia, at Baltimore six days later, then hosting the Chiefs four days after that on Christmas Day. The Steelers fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles to fall to 10-4, but still had a chance to wrap up the division with a win at Baltimore. The Ravens got their revenge in a big way, stomping the Steelers, 34-17. The Chiefs also blew their doors off with a 29-10 victory. Not only did the three-game losing streak all but erase the team's chances of winning the division, but put the team in a unfixable tailspin.
The Steelers closed out the season with a bad 19-17 loss to the Bengals at home. The collapse was made complete with the Ravens manhandling the Steelers in the wild-card playoff, 28-14.
Throughout the five-game losing streak, the offense lost all of its momentum. During that stretch, they averaged a pitiful 14.2 points per game. Wilson's moon ball was still working, but not nearly as often. And, his game was eventually figured out by opponents, making it very easy to stop. The Ravens might have been the team to put it on tape, as one of their coaches was heard on the AFC North version of Hard Knocks, saying "it's three pointers and layups, there's no mid-range with this dude."
The collapse soured the franchise's view of Wilson. Prior to the season, the team was already planning to negotiate an extension with Wilson. However, once everything played out, the team did a complete 180, meaning the Steelers yet again find a different starting quarterback in 2025.
THE OFFSEASON
The Steelers went into the offseason with their primary plan at quarterback to negotiate a new contract with Fields. They not only liked his performance in his six games as their starter, but really respected the way he handled everything once Wilson took his place as the No. 1 guy. Well before free agency began, the Steelers scooped up Skylar Thompson on a futures contract, giving the team one of the four quarterbacks they'd take to training camp.
The problem is the way the 2024 season played out didn't give Fields a ton of confidence that he was going to be their guy no matter what if he stayed in Pittsburgh, even though Arthur Smith was fully prepared to build the offense around Fields' skill set. Fields kept an open mind throughout the process, but ultimately decided to test free agency, and the Jets slightly outbid the Steelers and gave Fields the assurance of being the unquestioned starter. Thus, Fields moved on.
The Steelers quickly pivoted to the guy the Jets were casting aside after a horrid 5-12 season: Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers got a good indication from the Rodgers that he might eventually sign, but didn't commit to any time in which he'd put pen to paper. So, to give themselves a safety net to wait out Rodgers, Khan contacted Rudolph and the two sides hammered out a two-year contract very quickly. From the Steelers' perspective, bringing Rudolph back gave the team a failsafe just in case Rodgers opted to not sign with them.
Rodgers took his time tending to what he deemed as personal issues, though he and Tomlin maintained consistent contact from the time they first talked in mid-March until he eventually signed his contract during the first week of June.
While the Steelers waited on Rodgers, they didn't allow that to dictate their goals in the NFL Draft. They decided to select Will Howard in the sixth round, who just won a national championship with Ohio State. The Steelers courted Howard heavily throughout the draft process, meeting with him formally at the Combine and and trio of Tomlin, Khan and Smith having dinner with him ahead of his pro day.
Once Rodgers signed, just a few days ahead of mandatory minicamp, the quarterback room was put in place. The team always takes four quarterbacks to training camp. And for the second straight season, the franchise has an entirely new foursome at the position.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2025
Expectations for 2025 revolve heavily around what Rodgers has left in the tank. He'll turn 42 years old in December. With any player of that age, there'll always be concern about health and longevity throughout a grueling 17-game season.
The 2024 season with the Jets was not a great one for Rodgers. He threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, which is a high number for the quarterback who holds the record for the best interception rate of all time (1.4%). He was coming off an Achilles injury that sidelined him for all but four snaps in the 2023 season, but he also dealt with an array of injuries throughout the 2024 campaign, including a high ankle sprain, hamstring injury and knee injury. Even so, Rodgers played all 17 games for the Jets, despite not being anywhere close to 100% the majority of the season.
In watching back literally every single dropback of his entire 2024 season, which is laid out game by game in my Chalk Talk series, the Jets' misfortunes in 2024 were hardly all on Rodgers. The offensive line was atrocious. Not only could the Jets not run the football (last in the NFL in attempts, 16th in yards per carry), they couldn't protect Rodgers on a consistent basis. Rodgers was sacked 40 times, ninth-most in the league, despite Rodgers having the fifth-fastest time to throw (2.69 seconds) among qualifying quarterbacks, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Not to mention, there were clearly on-field issues between Rodgers and star receiver Garrett Wilson. Despite Wilson catching 101 passes for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns, the two were often out of sync.
What Rodgers displayed with the Jets was his ability to still make a lot of pre-snap reads, getting the offense into advantageous situations. His arm is also still very much alive and well, still possessing the ability to make some ridiculous throws and have a dangerously quick release. He still operates well in the short game, having the ability to get the ball out quick and move throughout his progressions when given any extra time beyond making his first read.
It's also encouraging that as the 2024 season progressed, Rodgers seemed to be getting stronger. He did more physically, making things happen outside the pocket when needed, and even picked up yardage on the ground when needed, including a team-high 45 rushing yards in a Week 15 win over the Jaguars.
Perhaps the biggest concerns about Rodgers' 2024 season included an obvious physical drop off from who he used to be, some poor predetermined decisions and a timid demeanor in the pocket when he was hit early and often. At 41 years old, Rodgers naturally can't move the way he used to. He's not a statue, but he's not going to put the Superman cape on 10-15 times per game and light up defenses outside the pocket the way he used to. And perhaps his age and constant state of being injured led him to become a first-read-or-checkdown quarterback when the offensive line was allowing him to be pressured early in games. In the Week 4 loss to the Vikings, Rodgers clearly wanted no part in getting blasted over and over again, so his willingness to stand in the pocket diminished when the offensive line consistently failed in pass protection.
In addition, Rodgers would sometimes make poor predetermined decisions before the snap. None was worse than forcing the ball to Davante Adams on a fourth-down pass for his potential 500th touchdown pass when Wilson was wide open on a quick slant that could have moved the chains or even resulted in a touchdown.
All in all, Rodgers still provides a great chance to have the best quarterback play the Steelers have had since 2018. The arm is still strong, he can still move when needed and he still maintains the ability to put the cape on every now and then to make a play that reminds everyone of who he used to be.
With the Steelers, Rodgers will have an offense that's committed to running the football. This won't be a situation in which Rodgers will finish second in the NFL in pass attempts. And, Smith's offense is a good fit for Rodgers. Smith learned a lot from Matt LaFleur, who Rodgers played under for four years in Green Bay, winning two MVP awards in the process.
It's not farfetched to believe Rodgers can provide competent play at quarterback. If he's able to do that and maintains the ability to make a ridiculous throw just a couple times per game, this is an offense that could put up some points. Of course, they need to be able to run the football, too.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
• Starter: Aaron Rodgers • Backup: Mason Rudolph • Third-string: Will Howard
The Steelers didn't wait nearly three months on Rodgers to put him in a quarterback competition. As long as he's healthy, he's the guy. Rudolph will be the unquestioned backup, as the Steelers would prefer to keep Howard on the sidelines all season, outside of as many precious snaps as possible during the preseason. This is a year dedicated to development for Howard, and he'll get to learn from one of the game's greatest quarterbacks throughout the process. So, if 2025 doesn't produce on-field team success, maybe it can at least be a very valuable year for Howard.
2025 STEELERS POSITIONAL PREVIEW SERIES
• Quarterback (duh, you're here)
And coming soon ...
• Running back (tomorrow) • Wide receiver/tight end • Offensive line • Defensive line/edge rusher • Inside linebacker • Secondary • Special teams
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THE ASYLUM
Positional preview: Quarterback's in Rodgers' hands
Thanks to the work done by Omar Khan and the front office during the offseason, the Steelers have a roster that has at least a puncher's chance in a loaded AFC North. But, in another season with a brand new quarterback room, the Steelers need more from under center.
Welcome to the first edition of our 2025 positional preview, in which we will break down the roster to get you ready for that wonderful first training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
Throughout this series, we'll take a look back at how each position fared in 2024, how that position was addressed in the offseason and wrap up with how it looks heading into 2025. Of course, the roster can still go through changes between now and when it's cut to 53 players. But, this will offer an understanding of how the team is shaping up.
We're starting with quarterback because, well, it's obviously the most important position. And, in order to succeed in today's NFL, the quarterback has to be productive and efficient.
2024 IN REVIEW
Though it wasn't the initial plan, the Steelers went into 2024 with a completely different quarterback room than 2023. After the Steelers signed Russell Wilson in free agency, Kenny Pickett demanded a trade, which the team honored, then immediately acquired Justin Fields from the Bears. And despite his heroics that led to a playoff berth in 2023, Mason Rudolph was never offered a contract, and he left for the Titans in free agency.
Wilson was slated to be the starter, but sustained a calf injury during the team's conditioning test at the start of training camp, then aggravated it shortly before the start of the season. That led to Fields starting the first six games of the season, in which the team went 4-2. While Fields was a turnover machine in Chicago, he turned it over only twice during these six games, throwing one interception and losing one fumble.
While Fields' performance was encouraging, it wasn't enough for Mike Tomlin, who wanted to see the quarterback play go to another level. The offense averaged 20.7 points per game with Fields at quarterback. To truly compete, and with all AFC North games still remaining on the schedule, Tomlin knew they had to score more. Thus, he went "Lone Ranger," as put by Fox's Jay Glazer, and switched to Wilson.
The immediate payoff was worth it. In Wilson's first seven games at the helm, the offense's production drastically increased to 28.4 points per game, and the team lost just one time -- in a snowstorm at Cleveland on a Thursday night. Wilson had some big performances, including wins over the Commanders and Ravens, and beat Joe Burrow and the Bengals in a 44-38 shootout, throwing for 414 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. A win at home against the Browns the following week improved the team's record to 10-3, making them clear favorites to win the AFC North. Wilson had helped take the top off defenses with his patented moon ball, which gave Tomlin an offense more capable of explosive plays, which is exactly what he was looking for.
Then the wheels fell off. No, they were blown off. Three of the Steelers' final four games were to be played in an 11-day period: At. Philadelphia, at Baltimore six days later, then hosting the Chiefs four days after that on Christmas Day. The Steelers fell to the eventual Super Bowl champion Eagles to fall to 10-4, but still had a chance to wrap up the division with a win at Baltimore. The Ravens got their revenge in a big way, stomping the Steelers, 34-17. The Chiefs also blew their doors off with a 29-10 victory. Not only did the three-game losing streak all but erase the team's chances of winning the division, but put the team in a unfixable tailspin.
The Steelers closed out the season with a bad 19-17 loss to the Bengals at home. The collapse was made complete with the Ravens manhandling the Steelers in the wild-card playoff, 28-14.
Throughout the five-game losing streak, the offense lost all of its momentum. During that stretch, they averaged a pitiful 14.2 points per game. Wilson's moon ball was still working, but not nearly as often. And, his game was eventually figured out by opponents, making it very easy to stop. The Ravens might have been the team to put it on tape, as one of their coaches was heard on the AFC North version of Hard Knocks, saying "it's three pointers and layups, there's no mid-range with this dude."
The collapse soured the franchise's view of Wilson. Prior to the season, the team was already planning to negotiate an extension with Wilson. However, once everything played out, the team did a complete 180, meaning the Steelers yet again find a different starting quarterback in 2025.
THE OFFSEASON
The Steelers went into the offseason with their primary plan at quarterback to negotiate a new contract with Fields. They not only liked his performance in his six games as their starter, but really respected the way he handled everything once Wilson took his place as the No. 1 guy. Well before free agency began, the Steelers scooped up Skylar Thompson on a futures contract, giving the team one of the four quarterbacks they'd take to training camp.
The problem is the way the 2024 season played out didn't give Fields a ton of confidence that he was going to be their guy no matter what if he stayed in Pittsburgh, even though Arthur Smith was fully prepared to build the offense around Fields' skill set. Fields kept an open mind throughout the process, but ultimately decided to test free agency, and the Jets slightly outbid the Steelers and gave Fields the assurance of being the unquestioned starter. Thus, Fields moved on.
The Steelers quickly pivoted to the guy the Jets were casting aside after a horrid 5-12 season: Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers got a good indication from the Rodgers that he might eventually sign, but didn't commit to any time in which he'd put pen to paper. So, to give themselves a safety net to wait out Rodgers, Khan contacted Rudolph and the two sides hammered out a two-year contract very quickly. From the Steelers' perspective, bringing Rudolph back gave the team a failsafe just in case Rodgers opted to not sign with them.
Rodgers took his time tending to what he deemed as personal issues, though he and Tomlin maintained consistent contact from the time they first talked in mid-March until he eventually signed his contract during the first week of June.
While the Steelers waited on Rodgers, they didn't allow that to dictate their goals in the NFL Draft. They decided to select Will Howard in the sixth round, who just won a national championship with Ohio State. The Steelers courted Howard heavily throughout the draft process, meeting with him formally at the Combine and and trio of Tomlin, Khan and Smith having dinner with him ahead of his pro day.
Once Rodgers signed, just a few days ahead of mandatory minicamp, the quarterback room was put in place. The team always takes four quarterbacks to training camp. And for the second straight season, the franchise has an entirely new foursome at the position.
WHAT TO EXPECT IN 2025
Expectations for 2025 revolve heavily around what Rodgers has left in the tank. He'll turn 42 years old in December. With any player of that age, there'll always be concern about health and longevity throughout a grueling 17-game season.
The 2024 season with the Jets was not a great one for Rodgers. He threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, which is a high number for the quarterback who holds the record for the best interception rate of all time (1.4%). He was coming off an Achilles injury that sidelined him for all but four snaps in the 2023 season, but he also dealt with an array of injuries throughout the 2024 campaign, including a high ankle sprain, hamstring injury and knee injury. Even so, Rodgers played all 17 games for the Jets, despite not being anywhere close to 100% the majority of the season.
In watching back literally every single dropback of his entire 2024 season, which is laid out game by game in my Chalk Talk series, the Jets' misfortunes in 2024 were hardly all on Rodgers. The offensive line was atrocious. Not only could the Jets not run the football (last in the NFL in attempts, 16th in yards per carry), they couldn't protect Rodgers on a consistent basis. Rodgers was sacked 40 times, ninth-most in the league, despite Rodgers having the fifth-fastest time to throw (2.69 seconds) among qualifying quarterbacks, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Not to mention, there were clearly on-field issues between Rodgers and star receiver Garrett Wilson. Despite Wilson catching 101 passes for 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns, the two were often out of sync.
What Rodgers displayed with the Jets was his ability to still make a lot of pre-snap reads, getting the offense into advantageous situations. His arm is also still very much alive and well, still possessing the ability to make some ridiculous throws and have a dangerously quick release. He still operates well in the short game, having the ability to get the ball out quick and move throughout his progressions when given any extra time beyond making his first read.
It's also encouraging that as the 2024 season progressed, Rodgers seemed to be getting stronger. He did more physically, making things happen outside the pocket when needed, and even picked up yardage on the ground when needed, including a team-high 45 rushing yards in a Week 15 win over the Jaguars.
Perhaps the biggest concerns about Rodgers' 2024 season included an obvious physical drop off from who he used to be, some poor predetermined decisions and a timid demeanor in the pocket when he was hit early and often. At 41 years old, Rodgers naturally can't move the way he used to. He's not a statue, but he's not going to put the Superman cape on 10-15 times per game and light up defenses outside the pocket the way he used to. And perhaps his age and constant state of being injured led him to become a first-read-or-checkdown quarterback when the offensive line was allowing him to be pressured early in games. In the Week 4 loss to the Vikings, Rodgers clearly wanted no part in getting blasted over and over again, so his willingness to stand in the pocket diminished when the offensive line consistently failed in pass protection.
In addition, Rodgers would sometimes make poor predetermined decisions before the snap. None was worse than forcing the ball to Davante Adams on a fourth-down pass for his potential 500th touchdown pass when Wilson was wide open on a quick slant that could have moved the chains or even resulted in a touchdown.
All in all, Rodgers still provides a great chance to have the best quarterback play the Steelers have had since 2018. The arm is still strong, he can still move when needed and he still maintains the ability to put the cape on every now and then to make a play that reminds everyone of who he used to be.
With the Steelers, Rodgers will have an offense that's committed to running the football. This won't be a situation in which Rodgers will finish second in the NFL in pass attempts. And, Smith's offense is a good fit for Rodgers. Smith learned a lot from Matt LaFleur, who Rodgers played under for four years in Green Bay, winning two MVP awards in the process.
It's not farfetched to believe Rodgers can provide competent play at quarterback. If he's able to do that and maintains the ability to make a ridiculous throw just a couple times per game, this is an offense that could put up some points. Of course, they need to be able to run the football, too.
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
• Starter: Aaron Rodgers
• Backup: Mason Rudolph
• Third-string: Will Howard
The Steelers didn't wait nearly three months on Rodgers to put him in a quarterback competition. As long as he's healthy, he's the guy. Rudolph will be the unquestioned backup, as the Steelers would prefer to keep Howard on the sidelines all season, outside of as many precious snaps as possible during the preseason. This is a year dedicated to development for Howard, and he'll get to learn from one of the game's greatest quarterbacks throughout the process. So, if 2025 doesn't produce on-field team success, maybe it can at least be a very valuable year for Howard.
2025 STEELERS POSITIONAL PREVIEW SERIES
• Quarterback (duh, you're here)
And coming soon ...
• Running back (tomorrow)
• Wide receiver/tight end
• Offensive line
• Defensive line/edge rusher
• Inside linebacker
• Secondary
• Special teams
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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