With pressure mounting in Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin may be entering his most critical season as head coach of the Steelers. Could Aaron Rodgers be the quarterback to finally bring postseason success back to the Steel City?
In this video, we dive deep into:
How Rodgers could impact the Steelers’ offense in 2025
Mike Tomlin’s coaching legacy and job security
AFC North competition with Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, and Deshaun Watson
What defines success for Pittsburgh this season?
🏈 Insight, bold takes, and expert discussion — don’t miss it!
Key SEO Keywords: Aaron Rodgers Steelers, Mike Tomlin Steelers 2025, Rodgers to Steelers rumors, Tomlin hot seat, Steelers rebuild 2025, AFC North quarterbacks, NFL 2025 predictions
00:00And, Greeny, J.J. McCarthy will make everyone forget about Sam Darnold in the Twin Cities.
00:05Let me tell you why.
00:06Look at the interior offensive line.
00:08They went outside.
00:09Will Freeze, Ryan Kelly drafted Donovan Jackson in the first round.
00:12So we can talk about Justin Jefferson, Jordan Asson, on and on and on.
00:16Great offensive line.
00:18Good experience in the offseason with Kevin O'Connell.
00:20He will play really well his rookie role in the second year.
00:23R.C., I'm fascinated by this one because he opens on a Monday night stand-alone game on the road in the division against Chicago.
00:31That'll be a battle.
00:32We'll come back to it.
00:33Meanwhile, Mike T., your next mic drop.
00:35How about a prediction about an NFC championship team?
00:37Who do you like?
00:38Right here, Baker Mayfield, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
00:40Greeny, they've won the NFC South four consecutive years.
00:44They were fourth in the NFL in points, and they went out and drafted Emeka Obuka in the first round.
00:49This team has way better offensive players than we realize.
00:53Hassan Redick is going to have to help on the pass rush.
00:56They are under the radar.
00:57Baker Mayfield and the Bucs to the NFC championship.
01:00Last one, Mike T.
01:02Let's talk about Mike T.
01:04Before I think about Greeny, I think we're on the precipice of this being Mike Tomlin's last year, and let me tell you why.
01:10This feels like Andy Reid in 2012 with the Philadelphia Eagles, a very amicable departing of a Hall of Fame coach.
01:16We think about Nick Foles and Michael Vick, the quarterback there.
01:20And the more I think about Aaron Rodgers and the data, it's almost impossible to me that he will play well at 42 years old.
01:27And when we really strip it down, and Darius gave me a great stat, if we go back over the last three years, we have a great graphic here.
01:35He was 26th, look at this, in yards per attempt and 29th in QBR since 2022.
01:41The only players that were worse than him were Ryan Tannehill, Bryce Young, Mac Jones, and Will Levis.
01:48That's my mic drop.
01:48So that's not great company that he's been keeping, I will grant you that.
01:52I will say the New York Jets presented a variety of obstacles that he had to try and overcome that he, theoretically at least, will not have to deal with in Pittsburgh.
02:04I hear what you're saying, and RC, you've said many times, it may be time for him to have his Andy Reid moment, to go find his Kansas City, his next stop, where he gets matched up with a great young quarterback.
02:14And all of a sudden, Andy Reid goes from being a really great coach to being in the discussion with the greatest coaches of all time.
02:20I could see it going that way.
02:23However, I'm a lot more optimistic about what this Steelers season is going to be.
02:27The Pittsburgh Steelers won't be Andy Reid's last year in Philadelphia bad this year.
02:33I don't believe this is a team that wins four or five games.
02:37I'm going to read something to y'all, and I want y'all just to listen to what this list sounds like.
02:48Those are quarterbacks that have started for the Pittsburgh Steelers outside of Ben Roethlisberger during Mike Tomlin's tenure, and he still never had a losing season.
02:58He is allergic to losing, and if you look at the way this team has approached this year, they're not approaching rebuilding by being bad.
03:06They're going to go all in next year to get their quarterback, but they're trying to build a roster that can win, and they want them to experience winning.
03:15They want them to build the habit of winning, and I believe Aaron Rodgers is just the quarterback this year to do that.
03:22The one thing about what Pittsburgh was when we won two Super Bowls is we didn't have a quarterback who had to lead.
03:28We didn't have a quarterback who had to direct.
03:30We had a quarterback who had to play big in big moments,
03:33and that's exactly what Aaron Rodgers has to do.
03:36He can still throw it.
03:37We watched the movement get better throughout last season,
03:40and I heard Hawk say something last week that I thought was not Hawk.
03:44It was Harry Douglas said something last week that was very profound.
03:47He said, when you listen to him talk about Robert Saleh, he always called him Robert.
03:52Every time he talks about Mike Tomlin, he calls him Coach Tomlin.
03:56Even that small piece is a different dynamic walking into the building.
04:00And he has to do less.
04:01To your point, he's coming into a situation where he doesn't have to be the head coach.
04:05He doesn't have to be the general manager.
04:07He doesn't have to be the mouthpiece in the media getting people excited about a franchise and organization.
04:12You cannot dig your best hole by digging ten holes at a time.
04:15And when you look at Aaron Rodgers and what he is tasked to do,
04:17which is be a quarterback, and you look at the organization
04:21and the moves they made to make this team better, it does align.
04:24They're not looking to go get a quarterback of the future by being bad
04:27and being in a good position in the draft.
04:29No, they've collected assets.
04:31We're going to go win.
04:32We're going to still go all in.
04:33And if we have to move to go get our quarterback in the following year, we will.
04:36I think they win a playoff game.
04:38Aaron Rodgers is approaching this like his last season, his love of football.
04:41And I think when you do less, you will result in more.
04:44Guys, I understand all that.
04:45But I will tell you from a front office perspective,
04:47one of the big mistakes I've made as human nature is you acquire Aaron Rodgers.
04:51You get excited, and maybe he catches light in the bottle.
04:54But you really have to pay a player and have a role for him for what he's going to do,
04:59not what he's been.
05:00And all I'm saying is it's been three years since he's played like Aaron Rodgers.
05:06And all I'm saying is, guys, you're both four-point players.
05:08He's going to be 42 years old.
05:10Only Drew Brees and Tom Brady are the only two quarterbacks in the history of football
05:15to start a playoff game at that age.
05:17And all I'm saying is when you think about it that way, it's highly unlikely that he's
05:21going to take three years' worth of one trend and just switch it this season.
05:28The biggest thing is this, though.
05:29Those two names that you said, obviously Tom Brady stands alone in who he is.
05:34Aaron Rodgers' names belong with those names.
05:36You look at quarterbacks above 40, he's probably closer to that than whatever the other list is.
05:40Yeah, exactly.
05:41I also will never try to dig 10 holes at the same time again.
05:44Well, you won't be the best at what you're doing.
05:45And there's no way in the world I will dig my best hole as we continue.
