Why This Pittsburgh Steelers Team Feels DIFFERENT..

How good will Aaron Rogers make the Steelers? How good will the Steelers be? Well, they’re a playoff team now. Again, this is about 2025 pushing all your chips in and it starts right there with the man on the screen with Aaron Rogers. Not going to last. This is not a 2026 conversation. This is 2025 and it does feel very boom bust for a team that never rebuilds and always tries to hang in there, but sort of stuck living in the middle right now in that 9 or 10 win range. They’re trying to get over that. Goals to win a Super Bowl. So, we’re building this team uh to win a Super Bowl this year. You know, that’s our goal. For nearly two decades now, the Pittsburgh Steelers have lived and died by stability. It’s been 18 years of non- losing seasons for one of the league’s best coaches, Mike Tomlin, but barely a sniff of a Super Bowl appearance over the last decade. They’re always competitive, but never dangerous, earning a reputation as wildcard round fodder. But now in 2025, everything is changing. In comes Aaron Rogers, Jaylen Ramsay, and DK Metaf. A wave of star power for the Steel City. It definitely seems that they’re no longer happy to settle for mediocrity as they’ve taken things into their own hands and gone allin to get this aging roster a ring. The question now is though, is will it work? And do the Pittsburgh Steelers actually know exactly what they’re doing? Now, obviously the biggest storyline that has followed the Pittsburgh Steelers coming into this season is the arrival of Aaron Rodgers, the four-time MVP who deprived the Black and Gold of lifting a Lombardi trophy in the 2010 Super Bowl. With the continuation of Big Ben under center after that Super Bowl, the Steelers remained a genuine threat in the AFC. And while the defense remained hot even after he retired, the offense certainly did not. Kenny Picket was an abject failure as a Ben Rothllessberger replacement, tossing 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in his two seasons as the team starter. And well, needless to say, Mike Tomlin and the entire Steelers organization had had enough of Kenny Picket after that performance. But there was one problem is that the quality of this defense that the Steelers have always been able to put on the field never quite let them get a pick high enough to try and find Big Ben’s proper replacement. Brick Jones was the team’s first round pick in 2023 at 14th overall before the team went back to the offensive line with Troy Fontanu at 20th overall in 2024. When a bargain hunting trip for Justin Fields and Russell Wilson again stuck the team in the perfect middle ground of good enough to have a bad draft pick, but not good enough to execute a deep playoff run, the Steelers were once again picking in the early 20s in the 2025 NFL draft. And that’s the thing too, whether they were completely scared off of just the Shador Sanders just experiment that you whatever you want to call it or whether they actually knew they were going to get Aaron Rogers later in this off season. We may never really know why they didn’t take a quarterback there. Instead, they waited till the sixth round to take a speculative shot on Will Howard. Since then, Picket Wilson and Fields have all failed to convince the Steelers front office that they were the saviors that this franchise needed. So, in comes Aaron Rogers, a man who quite literally failed in his role of savior for the New York Jets just last year. And now, don’t get me wrong, I know that both of those situations are completely different from each other. As we all know, New York was a totally lost franchise with no leadership anywhere to be seen and was very eager to hand the reigns over to their new quarterback immediately. In Pittsburgh, on the other hand, there is no doubt who the top dog is in the locker room, and Rogers will simply have to fall into line. When he was in New York, the former Packers legend persuaded the Jets to bring in his favorite offensive coordinator and receivers to make him feel comfortable. And I don’t think Jets fans feel best pleased about how that all went down. But even after saying all of that, too, it kind of seems a little bit risky to pin all of the Steelers hopes on this guy. And don’t get me wrong, I know there are a lot of negative things that have been said about Rogers, but there are some pretty positive things too that did come out of just the experiment and everything that was going on in New York as well. Like, I mean, look, even in his down season, Aaron Rogers still passed for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, which is a lot better than anything the Steelers have had from a statistical perspective in a while. Rogers still remains one of the sharpest minds in football and can still read and manipulate defenses as well or better than any other quarterback in the NFL. If the Steelers can protect him, which they will be expecting to do, considering there are upgrades along the offensive line in the recent years, then Rogers is still capable of firing the ball into those tight windows. He absolutely has more arm talent and is a more skillful quarterback than what the Steelers have been running out there since Big Ben has retired. the elephant in the room, though. It’s the fact that he’s now 41 years old. And yes, he is now further removed from that brutal Achilles tear from the 2023 season. But it’s clear that he doesn’t have anywhere near the mobility that helped make him so special in his heyday. He knows that he doesn’t have the elusiveness he needs to avoid pressure. And when you combine that with the increased fear of taking a hit to his aging body, you get a completely different type of quarterback than the Aaron Rogers of old. His 7.3 yard average depth of target in 2024 is tied for the to face at least 140 snaps in 2024. Similarly, his 2.65 average time to throw in 2024, ranked 33rd, again reflecting his desire to get the ball out as quickly as possible. This now brings us to the pass catchers who basically Rogers desperately needs to have to just basically be on their best to help Rogers deliver his best as well. Janu Smith is the most recent addition as an Arthur Smith favorite, and to be fair, he does match up very well with Rogers’s desire to deliver quick short passes. Smith is a superb run after the catch option and does make a lot of sense as an addition, offering a potent tight end threat alongside Pat Frymuth. The most significant move, though, was the decision to trade for DK Metaf and give him a 5-year, $150 million contract, paving the way for George Pickins to be traded away to the Dallas Cowboys. I mean, look, it was becoming apparent that Pickkins was wearing thin in the Steelers locker room, delivering one too many distractions and onfield punchups. In Metaf, the Steelers are hoping they found a similar skill set at the exceiver position, but with a little less volatility. And don’t get me wrong either because the former Seahawk himself has been known for some hotheaded moments, but his quality is undeniable, notching at least 900 on the final drive of a game, transferring as much of the blame onto him as possible. Oh, there’s two verticals. You know, Allen’s down the seam, Mike’s down red line. Um, so I’m looking at Allen, he puts his hand up. Three guys ago with him. So I’m throwing a no look to the red line. And when I just peek my eyes back there, he’s running. So, um, it’s got to be down the red line. No, I was throwing it to the red line, but when I got to about here, I realized he was running in breaker, so I had to kind of adjust it a little bit, but the play is two guys vertical. One guy down the ceiling, one guy in the red line. And the reason this is relevant is that DK was noticeably sloppier with his route running in 2024. If we take a look at this back kind of sloppiness isn’t going to fly with Aaron Rogers and makes you question how this offense really is going to work in 2025, especially seeing as Rogers also doesn’t seem to fit with the offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith who likes to execute a runheavy play action-based offense from under center. This is basically the polar opposite to Rogers who wants to keep everything as simple and static as possible so that he can survey the defense and figure out how he wants to attack them. When playing with Nathaniel Hackit as offensive coordinator in Green Bay and New York, Rogers had a lot of freedom to call his own plays and make his own adjustments, but it seems unlikely he will have that freedom in Smith’s runheavy offense in Pittsburgh. And I mean, look, to be frank, aside from Metaf, the overall Steelers wide receiver room does look fairly weak as well. Robert Woods is a reliable veteran who will be in the right place at the right time and will block his butt off. But Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller, and Ben Scrowski don’t exactly fill you with hope of a potent passing attack. Steeler fans will be praying for a Roman Wilson breakout in his sophomore season after missing his entire rookie campaign. Of course, John Smith and Pat Frymouth do offer up one of the most exciting tight end partnerships in the NFL, and the running back stable is fantastically balanced after the draft. Caleb Johnson was the team’s heavily predicted third round pick, coming in to replace Naji Harris and hopefully offering a bit more explosiveness. Johnson averaged 6.4 yards per carry for his 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns at Iowa in 2024, ready to shoulder the load for the Steelers team that will likely run the ball a lot. Behind him, Jaylen Warren is one of the better change of pacebacks in the league. And free agent acquisition Kenneth Gainwell is another good option to have as a receiving back. Frankly, if we’re just looking at this team from the offensive side of the ball, the outcomes are pretty much everywhere. They might be six and 10, they might be nine and eight, they might be 10 and seven. No really nobody really knows. It just all comes down to just really how well this offense does gel. Right now though, Steelers fans are praying that Aaron Rodgers comes in and works well in his offense and does what he couldn’t do in New York. delivers slightly above league average quarterback play to fulfill the potential of this defense and coaching staff. Alternatively though, he will clash with the system, throw his teammates under the bus, and fail to make them anything more than playoff fodder. Yet again, regardless of how that goes on the offensive side of the ball, and I mean, truthfully, them not falling too far into a good draft pick because of that offense, it’s going to be because the defense is just absolutely dominating week in and week out like we know the Steelers have been able to do for the past 10 years. TJ Watt did just sign his three-year extension worth $123 million, meaning he will be extra motivated to continue thriving within this epic defensive line that also features Cameron Hayward, Keano Benton, Alex Highmith, and Nick Urbig. Running on this unit was not an option in 2024 with them holding opponents to 98.7 yards per game on the ground, which ranked sixth in the NFL. They then got even stronger through the arrival of first round rookie Derrick Harmon, who is an absolute menace in the run game and as a pass rusher. Harmon’s ceiling is as high as any defensive tackle in the 2025 class, and he couldn’t have asked for a better landing spot than Pittsburgh. Here he can learn alongside the legendary Cam Hayward. And then Jack Sawyer and Yaya Black then added more firepower and depth as edge defenders in rounds four and five. The most significant change though in this defense came in the secondary. Surprisingly, Minka Fitzpatrick was shipped off to Miami in exchange for Jaylen Ramsay and the aff formidable Janu Smith. While Fitzpatrick might seem like the more appealing asset due to his age at 28 years old, reports since the trade seem to point to him being a locker room issue and potentially the focus of frustration among teammates from an effort perspective. Meanwhile, Jaylen Ramsay could still possibly be a beast. Yes, he might be 31 years old, but he still plays with impressive physicality and can still be a gamecher with Darius Slay coming in as another veteran quarterback and Juan Thornnehill arriving as a quality safety having just spent six years with the Browns. Like, I mean, just after going over those acquisitions on the defensive side of the ball, too, this defense is primed and ready for another great year on that side of the ball. And that’s the thing, too. If the offense can start to click with Aaron Rodgers and just gel completely together with everybody they have on that side of the ball, then why can’t the Steelers break their wild card round just troubles that they’ve had this year? The big question that everybody does want to know though is how high is their ceiling truthfully? Well, we have already spoken about Aaron Rogers’s limitations as a quarterback nowadays, particularly from a mobility perspective and how his game has transitioned into a much shorter, quicker passing preference. With him now under center and with this lackluster receiving core, not to mention the potential chemistry issues that might have come from the clash in the system or his lack of time spent with these receivers, can we really see the Steelers toppling AFC powerhouses such as the Bills, Ravens, or Chiefs? The other concerning factor for Steelers fans is the common trend of aging players across key positions all over the rosters. Injuries can impact any team, but having this many players in their 30s and a 40-year-old quarterback surely makes the prospects of everyone being healthy in January even lower. And we all know that health is an incredibly influential factor in helping a team go all the way. There is currently a lot of money going to these players, making this feel like an all-in campaign for the Steelers. It seems like a true Super Bowl or bust situation before turning this team over to a new quarterback and starting over completely. But if that’s the case, how does another draft pick in the 20s scream long-term success? Kenny Picket is literally a living and breathing example of what kind of quarterback you’re going to find drafting at that spot. And now, yes, the the Steelers have had a lot of draft capital that they have been able to bring in and just kind of guys that they are able to try and turn over when the time does come to try and rebuild this roster. But if we’ve learned anything about the recent seasons is that it’s really really hard to try and move up into that top 10 spot to try and draft a quarterback and you’re going to have to give up a substantial amount. Like I mean in 2024 the Giants were unable to move up from six overall to select Drake May and the Raiders have frequently missed out forcing them into the Gino Smith trade. The bottom line is nothing is guaranteed in the NFL draft, particularly when it comes to quarterbacks when you are likely negotiating with teams who are equally desperate at that position. In terms of the 2025 season though, the Aaron Rodgers signing at the very least does make the Steelers a very intriguing watch, and there certainly is a lot more upside than in recent seasons with a miserable collection of quarterbacks under center. The question now though is how high is that upside this

In this video, we’re diving into the potential impact of Aaron Rodgers joining the Steelers, focusing on the 2025 season and the Steelers offseason moves. Will this be the key to a Steelers Super Bowl appearance, or just another year stuck in the middle? Make sure to subscribe for more NFL content!

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47 comments

  1. No they don't feel different but they do look different and they do act different from the way they usually do things but the end product is going to be the same because one thing hasn't changed and that is Mike Tomlin is still the head coach

  3. 12:57 I think people forget the Steelers own the Ravens, they are 8-3 against them the last 5 years. The Ravens playoff win last year marks the first time in 7 years the Ravens have won the season series.

  4. This Steelers team reminds me a lot of the 2015 Broncos with the exception that the Steelers have a ton of draft picks and very good cap space going forward! It's all about the young o-line as this team is absolutely loaded but has a lot of older players on defense and an old QB. Rodgers has far more physical ability now than Peyton Manning had the last few years in Denver and remember the Broncos did not have a good line in front of him either. The 2015 Broncos had a great defense and this year the Steelers have a great defense that may lead the league. The Steelers can win the Super Bowl! Will they? They will be in the hunt no doubt! I expect them to win in the postseason!

  7. As to how good the Steelers are ? It all hinges on the offensive line. If they haven’t improved, Rodgers won’t make it through the season and the running attack won’t be as effective.

  9. Having 12 picks in next year's draft with most of them being in the top 100 they should be able to at least come away with one of the multiple highly pedigree QBs coming out. This isn't some all team with no future prospects.

  10. My question is, and I don't think I'm alone, can our coaching staff bring out the best with the talent we have. We slumped bad on a 5 game skid that expectedly led to another one and done playoff exit.

  14. I hate saying it but I’m with Pickens. You can have Jesus himself taking snaps but it’s not gonna do shit when we run up the middle and throw short passes on third and long.

  16. Questioning if they do better than last year shouldn't even be a thing. I don't expect a prime era Rogers, but as mentioned, in a FAR WORSE situation of a team, he put up better numbers than any QB we've had here.

    The receiving corp may not be quite the depth I'd hoped but the addition of Smith at TE is already an improvement for the team. Mount Washington became more of a receiving TE as the season played on last year. Add in the always dependable Friermuth and I this now helps to open up DK. The O line HAD been the biggest problem. With Fautanu coming back, and the chemistry these guys FINALLY have together will make a massive difference itself.

    This will open up the run game and maybe Naj was not what we hoped. My biggest complaint with him was ESPECIALLY early in games, he'd try to be a quick and nimble back. He would use his size at times with power runs, but didn't punish DBs early in games like he could and should have. Let Warren be your speed. What seems like a better balance to the RB room should be a difference.

    If ANY ONE of these areas show a good step forward, that will extend drives and let Smith start to get creative, thus becoming more dangerous. The talent is all there for this to happen. Think of it this way. We always talk about "The Standard" in Pitt. Well, this is the standard+.

    It's nearly storybook….Tomlin has successfully rebuilt every part of this team except the QB spot. They kept Ben, but he was a Cowher draft. Even if Rogers isn't a draft pick, he's Tomlins decision. Rogers has a special connection though. He has one SB win and it just happened to be against one of the best defenses we've ever had in Pitt. Tomlin is 1-1 in the SB, again his only loss coming to Rogers.

    It's everything that the Steelers organization has done right since their first SB win FIFTY YEARS AGO! It just feels right. It just feels right. We need to get back soon. I thought the 80s early 90a drought was painful. It definitely seemed longer but hard to believe we now 15 years since going to the SB. In 96, it was a 16yr drought. Doesn't feel nearly as long as it did back when I got was a kid!!

  24. I wish everyone would stop mentioning the fact that Aaron Rodgers is 41 years old. It doesn't matter. Has everyone forgotten that Tom Brady won a SUPERBOWL at age 43. So Aaron's age really shouldn't be a huge factor. With the Steelers stellar defense and deep threat weapons, along with a promising running game, they could make a good SUPERBOWL run

  27. They may be A.
    Playoff team, but they're gonna be no better with aaron rodgers because he is too f old If he is forced to do a lot of passing this team aint gonna be good.They better run their butts off Cause aaron is truly washed up Sure, give me a good numbers.But a people look back at those gangslash year They would notice that all those numbers and everything came pretty much in a second half When the games were out of reach if they would just take his number Just solely on the first half.They would find out that his numbers were actually trash

  28. Let's stop pretending that we need Aaron to come in n fix the team… He will come in n do exactly what we need him to do n have been missing since Ben… We have a great defense but even the best defense ever can't stay on the field 1/2 the game n not give up points… We need a QB who has leadership skills that will hold wrs tes n hbs accountable so that they're disciplined enough to maintain a drive long enough to give that defense a break… Look at what happened when we had an even half rested defense last year… We were what 6-2 n at least 1 of those 2 games we should have won… We don't need Aaron to come in n b Patrick Mahomes we need him to come in n get after wrs about the sharpness of their routes n the importance of breaking off routes n getting open after the route is played out or when they see the QB in trouble… We need him to help sustain drives… Our defense will b dominant as it usually is for the first few games of the year but with Aaron they may b able to remain dominant for the entire season… Aaron gives the ability to throw long n accurate… Aaron gives the threat of placing the ball in the hands of the pass catchers consistently n with the run game we know Warren can produce along with what we expect Johnson to b paired with 2 above average starters at te the offense should have no problem keeping the defense off the field more often than the offense goes 3 n out… We're already a playoff team folks forget that we were the team battling Baltimore for the AFC North title after everyone said we would win only 6 games… That's due to that defense that eventually wore out by the end of the year bcuz they stayed on the field which turns into fatigue n injuries n losses… The Dallas game is a perfect example… Our offense couldn't put up points or stay on the field… The defense stopped them time n time n time again but eventually at the end of the game Dallas was finally able to break our defense n put enough points on the board to take the lead after multiple failed drives… If Aaron can come in n extend each series from 3 plays to 6 plays or 8 plays the defense itself will b able to win us games… Aaron understands game management… Sometimes it's better to complete 10-8 yard completions n score a td than it is to complete 3 28 yard plays n score a TD… Aaron understands that… We need a QB that can look at the team as a whole n Aaron at his age with his experience gives us more knowledge n understanding of exactly what it is the team needs… We have talent we need proper usage

  31. Heard Howard is turning heads. He gets to sit a year also and learn from a couple vets. Could be the guy. Mobile. Big arm. Big frame. At draft. Same size as josh allen. He fits the mold of ben also. I think we got one and next year we should get him Jeremiah Smith

  36. As a Steelers fan… I’m looking forward to a 11-12 win season and a first round playoff exit to reset the cycle until we get our lucky 24th overall pick franchise QB

  39. I hate to tell Steelers fans but Rodgers SUCKS. Hasn’t had a 300-yard passing game in 3 years. He’s selfish, stupid, and mendacious. Bad move relying on a has been.

  40. Fan boys that don't watch the games. The Steelers always need someone else to win to get them in for their first round first quarter whooping. Tomlin has the lowest football IQ in the NFL. The Steelers have the highest paid defense. Of course they are a .501 team. That first game last year proved it to me that Tomlin is an amateur. I get it though he is a nice guy and he is having a good time. I just won't be blaming noooby QBs, the RB or some rando underling. Tomlin looked like Bozo the Clown honking a bike horn last year from the first game on. He gets out coached and out schemed. He is one dimensional and has no dynamic football team building abilities. The Steelers NEVER cruised the Chicago and Jets dumpsters until that clown Tomlin showed up. The Oline is going to get these QBs drubbed out of the league faster than the Cleveland browns do. The Steelers are a bad stop for skill positions. It's a meathead organization with absolutely zero clue about championship football.

  41. Carolina loses cam, 0-16. The browns 0-16 every year. Cowboys pay Dak 49595737375 million and 5-12. I could go on. Why are people so fixed on a team that is never bad 😭😭

  46. Oh I remember the day i liked the Steelers just a random day for me as a kid I’m outside playing running back and forth outta the house and the one time I step into my dads room there it was the Super Bowl my first time ever watching football packers vs Steelers I simply chose them because of the color and I didn’t know I picked the best football team in history ❤

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