For better or for worse, the Pittsburgh Steelers may be Aaron Rodgers's final NFL team.
For all the reasons Rodgers's swan song could end in total disaster, Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger appears to be holding onto the hope that the veteran quarterback will improve from last season and go out with a bang.
It's the same hope that tormented New York Jets fans for two years (and to be honest, much longer than that) as they watched Rodgers tear his Achilles four snaps into his first season with the team and then suffer a notable decline in production across the board (3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions) in 2024.
But, Roethlisberger floated a reasonable theory for why Rodgers will be better on the Steelers than he was on the Jets.
"I think if it is it, you're going to give everything you've got, probably," Roethlisberger said on his podcast (8:00 mark in this video). "One year after injury, you're still trying to get a feel. ... He won't even be thinking about the Achilles this year. I think you will get a better Aaron this year. Even though you're older, I think you will get a better Aaron this year than you did last year. Just because the thought process of the Achilles—what can I do, what can I not do, I don't think he will think about it at all."
In what Rodgers has said will likely be his last NFL season, the 41-year-old could make some special history in the process. As it stands, Rodgers has the seventh-most passing yards in league history (62,952 yards) but could surpass none other than Big Ben, who ranks fifth with 64,088 yards.
If that happens, Roethlisberger will be cheering on the Steelers quarterback from the stands.
"Good," Roethlisberger said, of Rodgers potentially beating his all-time record. "Records are meant to be broken."
Let's hope the Steelers' hearts won't be.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ben Roethlisberger Explains Why Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Will Be a Better QB This Year.
