In stunning twist, Aaron Rodgers has been Steelers' biggest bright spot

There were a lot of reasons to be skeptical about the Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to sign Aaron Rodgers as their latest stop-gap quarterback option. He was 41 years old, had not had a really strong season in at least three years and was a constant distraction during his brief tenure with the New York Jets.

It just seemed like a bad idea in every way. But six games through the 2025 season, it is pretty easy to see that Rodgers has been one of the Steelers' biggest bright spots. He has perhaps even been their biggest bright spot. 

Aaron Rodgers has brought new energy to Steelers passing game

While nobody is going to confuse this version of Rodgers with the four-time MVP who he was in his prime, he has so far showed that he still has a little something left in the tank. It's also becoming clear that a lot of his struggles and issues in New York were more Jets-related than Rodgers-related. That is only being reenforced by the fact the Jets are 0-6 without Rodgers this season. 

After Thursday's game in Cincinnati where Rodgers threw four touchdowns, he enters the weekend atop the NFL's leaderboard for passing touchdowns (14) and is carrying a passer rating of 105.0. If he can keep that number in the 100s for the remainder of the season, it would be his first full season with a rating that high since the 2021 season. 

What makes his efficiency and passing numbers so impressive is that he is doing it in an offense that is not exactly known for its innovation, while also playing behind an offensive line that has been a work-in-progress for much of the season. He also only has one proven wide receiver in DK Metcalf.

Despite all of that, he has still helped the Steelers offense average 25 points per game, which would be their highest mark in years. 

The expectation for the Steelers this season was that their defense would need to carry them while the offense mostly played mistake-free, safe football. In other words: Just do enough to not lose games as opposed to go out and win games.

The reality has mostly been the exact opposite. 

While the Steelers defense has mostly underachieved across the board, it's been Rodgers and the offense bailing them out. The offense is the biggest reason they won their season-opener against the New York Jets, while Rodgers nearly dragged them to a win in Cincinnati on Thursday night when the defense could not stop Joe Flacco and the Bengals offense. He is the biggest reason they are 4-2 and on top of the AFC North instead of 3-3 (or worse) and sitting on the outside of the playoff picture. He has also played well enough to potentially be 5-1 or better. 

If they can get their defense figured out, he would give them their best chance for playoff success since the prime years of Ben Roethlisberger. That is probably not what anybody expected when he signed with the team.