Coach voices concerns about Steelers' Aaron Rodgers despite stellar outing vs. Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers seemed to turn the clock back a handful of years when he torched the New York Jets, his former team, to the tune of 244 passing yards and four touchdowns in Pittsburgh's 34-32 win at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon. 

Despite that solid showing, at least one unnamed coach voiced some concerns about what Rodgers will and won't be for the Steelers at the age of 41.

What Aaron Rodgers cannot do anymore

"He cannot get away from the rush anymore, but he can move in the pocket and deliver those wrist flicks accurately, with or without his feet on the ground," the coach who watched the Steelers-Jets game on television said about Rodgers while chatting with Mike Sando of The Athletic. 

According to Sando, Rodgers took four sacks and three other hits in the victory over the Jets. That said, Pro Football Reference stats show that Rodgers was responsible for the league's second-highest passer rating for Week 1 (136.7) ahead of "Monday Night Football." From Thursday through Sunday evening, no player tossed more touchdown passes than Rodgers. 

It remains to be seen how Rodgers' body will respond to the blows he took on Sunday. Last fall, a serious hamstring issue, a nagging hip problem, injuries to both his knees and a low ankle sprain slowed him during his return from the torn Achilles he suffered in September 2023.

Coach shares a warning for Aaron Rodgers

"What he has to watch out for is those wrist flicks turn into interceptions later in the year," the coach added about Rodgers. "The four (TDs) is what everyone sees. Nobody pays attention to the two dropped interceptions or the fact that, just four or five years ago, he’d go five games without one of those." 

It's also worth noting that Rodgers won't have extra motivation to want to topple a team that previously parted ways with him each weekend. As much as he tried to downplay the potential storyline throughout the first week of September, he made it known on Sunday that he was "happy to beat everybody associated with the Jets" after the club showed him the door earlier this year. 

The Steelers next host the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 14. Seattle suffered a 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.