Aaron Rodgers: A Season in Review

Aaron Rodgers had an inconsistent season with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His raw numbers suggest he was above average. He threw for over 3,000 yards, 24 touchdowns, and finished with a 94.8 passer rating. However, watching the games suggests something different. Rodgers did have flashes of brilliance, such as his four-touchdown performance against the Jets. But, more often than not, Rodgers lacked synergy and chemistry with his weapons.

As the year went on, it seemed like Rodgers trusted his weapons less and less, and, as a result, Pittsburgh became more conservative in its play-calling. The Steelers finished middle of the pack in virtually every EPA metric in 2025, whether that be total EPA, EPA per pass, or success rate. EPA, as a metric, values not turning the ball over, which admittedly, the Steelers and Rodgers were good at. It’s been one of the few things that Pittsburgh has excelled at in recent years.

Rodgers was also exceptional at avoiding sacks but getting the ball out faster than anybody in the NFL. However, that approach crippled their ability to make explosive plays and it caught up with Rodgers and the Steelers whenever they faced elite defenses. In their seven games against defenses that finished top ten in both yards and points allowed per drive, the Steelers averaged just 15.3 points and 257.9 yards per game. Rodgers in particular struggled. He completed just over 60% of his passes, averaged less than 180 yards per game, threw just seven touchdowns to six interceptions, and finished with a 76.2 passer rating.

Will Aaron Return to Pittsburgh?

Admittedly, this futility is not all on Aaron. He lacked a real second option at wide receiver for the entire season, and missing D.K. Metcalf for the final two regular-season games didn’t help. However, Rodgers was advertised to be an elevator of offenses that lacked talent, and it is something he’s done in the past. There were too few moments of that for him in 2025. Rodgers was the best QB the Steelers have had since Ben Roethlisberger was in his prime. He was also unable to elevate the Steelers’ offense beyond their mediocre or suboptimal standards in the 2020s. Two things can be true at once.

The future of Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh is uncertain. Nobody knows for sure if Rodgers is going to retire or stay in Pittsburgh or play somewhere else. Nobody is even sure if the hiring of Mike McCarthy makes it more or less likely for Rodgers to return, given their up-and-down history together. What is clear is that 2025 didn’t end the way Steelers fans or Rodgers wanted it to. Against elite defenses that either forced him to get the ball out quickly or got to him before he could get the ball out, Rodgers looked like a shell of his former self. And while he did have a few great games, they won’t be highlighted the way that his bad games were since they came against inferior defenses like the Jets, Ravens, or Bengals.