He’s back. The four-time MVP and Super Bowl Champion, Aaron Rodgers, officially signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and reunited with former head coach Mike McCarthy. Rodgers signed a one-year deal worth up to $25-million. A long drawn-out saga is finally over and ESPN’s, Seth Walder, believes it is just an average deal for the Steelers.
Grading The Deal
Walder graded the deal as a C for Pittsburgh,
“The contract officially cements the Rodgers-Mike McCarthy reunion that had long been assumed,” Walder wrote. “Relative to the Jets move in 2023 and even to the first Steelers signing in 2025, this re-signing will come with less fanfare because the hope of upside with Rodgers has at this point essentially washed away. The last time Rodgers was an above-average quarterback by QBR was 2021 (granted, he won MVP that season). That will be five years ago when he steps on the field in Week 1. By comparison, Tua Tagovailoa, Geno Smith and Jacoby Brissett all ranked in the top 10 in QBR more recently than Rodgers ranked even in the top half.”
Walder believes that the aging great simply is not the same player he once was
“Rodgers has been consistent in his below-average play. He ranked 26th, 25th and 23rd in QBR in his past three seasons he played more than a few snaps (2022, 2024 and 2025),” Walder wrote.
“Don’t get me wrong, he still has moments. But the quarterback we saw last year in Pittsburgh is a far cry from the all-time great he once was for the Packers. Optimists will point to his low 1.4% turnover rate, which ranked in the 93rd percentile last season. But Rodgers achieved that number via a level of conservatism that hurt his efficiency even without throwing any interceptions.”
The Steelers Had Other Options
The free agent quarterbacks that were available did not offer much more than Rodgers,
“I’ve been pretty harsh on Rodgers thus far here, but from the Steelers’ perspective, this offseason also did not exactly present a bounty of options”, Walder wrote.
“Two choices would have clearly been superior, in my view. The obvious is Kyler Murray, especially at the league minimum. But there’s a good chance that Murray wanted Minnesota and therefore left no real shot for the Steelers. Malik Willis is the misstep. He would have given Pittsburgh an upside that Rodgers can’t anymore, even if he has a lower downside. I’ve written previously about why I was bullish on a team giving Willis a chance.”
Walder continues,
“Outside of that, there were no perfect options. The Steelers could have traded for Spencer Rattler, Mac Jones or Tanner McKee, but each is a dice roll and would have cost draft capital (though I think each ought to have been worth real consideration nonetheless). They could have traded for Geno Smith, but he played worse than Rodgers last season. And they could have theoretically drafted Ty Simpson, but he went before the Steelers’ first selection anyway,” Walder wrote.
The Steelers will look to improve upon their 10-7 record and wildcard round exit in last years’ playoffs.
Rodgers Return Given Poor Grade