Why Steelers QB coach is reportedly 'buying' Aaron Rodgers hype

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers received plenty of positive reviews regarding his first week as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

That trend continued as former NFL signal-caller and current analyst Chase Daniel revealed during Friday's edition of FS1's "The Facility" program that he texted with Steelers quarterbacks coach Tom Arth about Rodgers.

"He's buying the hype, to say the least," Daniel said about Arth's opinion of Rodgers, Steelers Depot's Josh Carney shared. "Like everything from on-the-field to off-the-field stuff. And I went on to ask [Arth] a little bit more, like, what stands out, all this stuff, right? He said Aaron Rodgers has four main gifts as a quarterback. He said arm talent, athleticism, his release and his intelligence. And I would agree that all four of those things have made Aaron Rodgers one of the greatest of all time." 

Some may question Arth's take considering Pro Football Reference shows that Rodgers ended the 2024 season ranked 28th in the league among qualified passers with a 48.0 adjusted QBR. That said, it's worth noting that numerous physical setbacks impacted Rodgers' play last fall before he threw for eight touchdown passes with three interceptions over his final four games with the New York Jets. 

Rodgers turned 41 in December, so it's likely he won't reclaim his best form with the Steelers even if he stays fully healthy through January 2026. Daniel found in his evaluations of Rodgers that the future Hall of Famer is "not scrambling outside the pocket" at this stage of his career. Nevertheless, the four-time Most Valuable Player Award winner could prove to be an upgrade over what the Steelers got from Russell Wilson and Justin Fields last season.

"When you look at his arm talent, his release and his intelligence, I would agree this is one of the better quarterbacks — I think probably the best quarterback — that Pittsburgh has had. I don't know if he's going to play like that, but in shorts, I think it's worth buying the hype," Daniel added. 

Rodgers is largely a lottery-ticket acquisition for a Pittsburgh team seeking its first playoff win since the 2016 season. If nothing else, it sounds like Steelers coaches think Rodgers could put on quite a show during his first throwing session of training camp later this summer.