After months and months of rumors, speculation, and innuendo, it was announced yesterday that future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers had (finally) signed a 1-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite his struggles with the New York Jets for the past two seasons (one of which was spent entirely on the IR), the Steelers are hoping the 4-time MVP and once Super Bowl champion QB can get their franchise back on track following a rocky 2024 season. But do they have the wide receiver options to be viable?
The news of Rodgers’ signing with the Steelers has had a polarizing effect on Steelers Nation (of which yours truly is a proud member). And rightfully so. After spending the prime of his career with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers’ two-season odyssey with the Jets was an unmitigated disaster. Two plays into the 2023 season, Rodgers tore his Achilles tendon, rendering him inactive for the whole season. In 2024, a healthy Rodgers and revamped wide receiving corps still couldn’t make a difference, with the Jets posting an abysmal 5-12 record.
This offseason, the Steelers’ WR room got a bit of a makeover and will look significantly different. But is it enough to compete with the rest of the always-competitive AFC North and the NFL at large? We also turned to Madden 25 for some simulations when it comes to a few scenarios.
DK Metcalf Will Be Aaron Rodgers’ Primary Target
Back in March, the Steelers made headlines by acquiring wide receiver DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a second-round pick, and swapping picks in the 6th and 7th rounds of the NFL Draft. Though a second-round pick seemed costly, it was overall a good move for the Steelers, who acquired a really good wide receiver who’d be paired with their own starlet, George Pickens, an immensely talented young WR who struggled with some mental lapses during games, but still had the potential to be a star.
Unfortunately, fantasies about what a DK-Pickens season could look like were quickly derailed after Pickens was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for three future draft picks. This has left DK as the obvious WR 1, with WR 2 being contested between Calvin Austin III and… whomever.
In all likelihood, no matter what happens between now and the start of the NFL season, Metcalf will be Rodgers’ primary target on Sundays.
Don’t Sleep On Pat Freiermuth
While the quality of the Steelers’ wide receiving corps is very much in question sans Metcalf, the quality at tight end is not. Though often slept on, Pat Freiermuth is an incredibly talented tight end who can play off of Rodgers and be kind of what Heath Miller was once to Ben Roethlisberger.
Freiermuth is coming off a quality 2024 season, in which he registered 7 touchdowns, 653 receiving yards, and a career-high 65 receptions. The former Penn State Nittany Lion is also approaching the prime of his career, being only 26 years old and quite possibly capable of finding another level to his game.
Even if Metcalf will be Aaron Rodgers’ primary target, Freiermuth could be a very handy tool at Pittsburgh’s disposal.
The Steelers Could Still Add Another Receiver Before The Start Of The Season
Yes, the Steelers’ wide receiving corps is paper-thin right now. But that doesn’t mean it will still be at the start of the season. They still have Roman Wilson, whom they drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft but missed the entirety of his rookie season due to injury. If he’s put his injuries behind him and can live up to the player he was at Michigan, he can be a viable weapon for Pittsburgh. But that’s a big “if” for a fanbase that is constantly expecting to be competitors.
The Steelers could also trade for a wide receiver. As NBC’s Mike Florio has pointed out, the Jets’ Allen Lazard — a former teammate of Rodgers at both the Packers and Jets — could be on Pittsburgh’s radar. But that’s pure speculation. However, that kind of speculation has gone down like a spoonful of crow with Steelers faithful.
Pittsburgh has also courted free agent Gabe Davis, a solid WR 2 option who had a decent spell with the Buffalo Bills before his one-year stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars ended prematurely due to a torn meniscus. Unfortunately, these injuries have continued to linger, with him recently failing a physical with the Jaguars.
No matter what the Steelers decide to do this offseason in regards to bolstering their receiver core, everything comes with a risk.
Testing Out Scenarios In Madden 25
We love our sports here at OS. And we equally love talking about them. However, we are a gaming site. In turn, we’ve decided to let Madden 25 tell us what the answers are! To help us, we ran two simulations:
- One where Allen Lazard joins the Steelers
- Another where Gabe Davis is signed
After setting our rosters to what they will (theoretically) be in 2025, here were the results.
The Steelers Had An Awful Season With Rodgers And Allen Lazard
Just like the sim we did to try to determine which of Rodgers and Kirk Cousins would have a better season with the Steelers, Rodgers faltered in his season with tPittsburgh. Not only was the team laughably bad and finished with a 3-14 record, but Rodgers was especially awful, throwing 24 interceptions to 17 touchdowns on the season.
The receiving core, however, wasn’t too bad on paper. Metcalf finished with 1,049 yards, good enough for the third-highest total in his career. Lazard wasn’t too shabby as a second option either, finishing with 765 yards, just narrowly missing out on his career high in that regard.
This sim was brought down by Rodgers’ poor performance. But would he fare better with Gabe Davis?
The Steelers Were Better With Rodgers And Gabe Davis, But Not By Much
No matter how we adjust things, it seems the Steelers in Madden 25 just can’t have a good season with Aaron Rodgers at the helm. This sim was no different. Granted, he wasn’t as bad as the simulation with Lazard, but it was still underwhelming. On the season, Rodgers threw for 22 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, completed 66% of his passes, and amassed 3,580 yards. It wasn’t as hilariously bad as last go around, but certainly not very good.
But the receiving numbers surprised me. And they’ll probably surprise you too.
Despite playing nearly half as many downs as Metcalf, Gabe Davis flourished on the Steelers. Despite failing to crack 1,000 yards, Davis did hit 843 yards — just 23 yards short of Metcalf. He also caught a staggering 11 touchdowns on the season.
