The Pittsburgh Steelers are betting on Aaron Rodgers for one final season, and the rest of the league is no longer sure what he has left. Rodgers landed at No. 19 in The Athletic’s annual Quarterback Tiers, a three-spot drop from No. 16 a year ago and his second consecutive season stuck in Tier 3.
The fall is steep when you zoom out. Rodgers made 10 straight appearances in Tier 1, spent one year in Tier 2, and has now settled into the third tier once again.
Aaron Rodgers Falls to Tier 3 in Athletic’s 2026 QB Tiers
The tiers come from Mike Sando of The Athletic, who polled roughly 50 NFL coaches and executives and averaged their votes. Tier 3, in Sando’s opinion, is categorized as a legit starter who needs a better running game or defense to win, and whose game fits best in a lower-volume dropback passing offense.
The votes landed all over the map. One panelist still put him in Tier 1, 19 slotted him in Tier 2, 26 dropped him to Tier 3 and four went all the way to Tier 4. One defensive coordinator explained exactly why the shine has worn off.
“He’s a 3 at best,” the coordinator said. “He can still throw it. I love Aaron. He’s a tough motherf—er, but he holds the ball too long and lacks the same mobility. They come out against Buffalo, one-score game, turnover for a touchdown. He did not get rid of the ball on time. He is not able to make that magic like he used to.”
That echoes how his first Pittsburgh season ended, with Houston turning two Rodgers giveaways into touchdowns and sacking him four times in the wild-card round.
NFL Coaches Still Defend Rodgers and His Steelers Fit
Not everyone was ready to write him off, though. Coaches graded Rodgers higher than executives by the largest margin of any quarterback in that direction, Sando reported. Also, all eight current general managers polled put him in Tier 3 or 4.
One defensive coordinator scoffed at the idea of seeing him ranked so low.
“Who would you rather have running your offense, Jalen Hurts or Aaron Rodgers?” the voter asked.
Another defensive coach pinned the struggles on the Steelers offensive struggles last year.
“The offensive scheme was limiting last year,” the coach said. “His mobility is not great, but as a dropback passer and one of those guys you do not want to face in two-minute, if he has pieces around him, he can still go win.”
A third saw room for a bounce-back, even if it was a bit condescending.
“He’s a 3 that can go to a 2,” the coach said. “He doesn’t want to get hit. He’s got a little soccer flop in him. But he can still beat you.”
The Steelers are counting on a version of Rodgers that leads the team to wins. Plain and simple. Whether than’s a resemblance of the old Rodgers back from his Packers days or it’s the last dance version, the goal is the same.
Having his old coach in Mike McCarthy back on the sideline will certainly help a lot.
Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers Gets Called Out by NFL Coaches