Aaron Rodgers is back with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one final season at the age of 42. He will turn 43 years old in December as the postseason approaches.
His age and gradual decline in overall play has many analysts wondering if he still has what it takes to lead the Steelers to a Super Bowl this season. That, or even just the postseason in his final NFL campaign.
One former NFL star used a bizarre but fitting metaphor to describe the quarterback at this stage of his career.
Former Super Bowl Champion Describes Aaron Rodgers in Unique Way
Keyshawn Johnson appeared on “The Schultz Report” with Jordan Schultz on Friday and said something so bold, they made it the intro of an hour video on YouTube.
“You can only get so much juice out of a dry lemon,” Johnson said. “And Aaron Rodgers is a dry lemon at this stage of his career.”
The comparison does make sense when taking a minute to think about. Rodgers’ best playing days came with the Green Bay Packers, where plenty of “juice” was squeezed out of him. So much so, he left and immediately got injured with the New York Jets in 2023. He was able to return in 2024, but even he could not lift the Jets to any semblance of success, finishing with a 5-12 record.
He joined the Steelers last season and while he did throw for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns, he looked noticeably old in the Wild Card round loss to the Houston Texans. He did claim he was sick for the 30-6 home playoff loss, but that also goes toward Johnson’s point. Perhaps it’s something he could have overcome earlier in his career.
Steelers Outlook With Rodgers in 2026
There are plenty of unknowns for the Steelers this season due to it being the beginning of the post-Mike Tomlin era. Mike McCarthy is in at head coach, reuniting with Rodgers after so much time together in Green Bay. The two did indeed win a Super Bowl together, over the Steelers, yet it was back in the 2010 season. That is a lifetime ago in the NFL world.
That makes it truly hard to predict how this season will go in Pittsburgh. The team hasn’t had a losing season since 2003 back when Bill Cowher was the head coach. McCarthy’s last losing season was in 2024 with a Dallas Cowboys team that lost Dak Prescott halfway through the year.
The fact the AFC gets seven playoff spots makes a postseason berth absolutely attainable for the Steelers this season. It just all comes down to whether there is more juice left in the lemon that is Aaron Rodgers.
Former NFL Star Shares Bizarre Aaron Rodgers Metaphor