Last spring, Aaron Rodgers took months to decide whether and where he would play during the 2025 NFL season.
Then the season began Sunday. And playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Rodgers immediately looked like the future Hall of Fame quarterback who’d once poked holes in defenses throughout the league, and little like the one who’d struggled through last season.
Facing the New York Jets, the same team that unceremoniously told Rodgers his services were no longer wanted last winter, the 41-year-old quarterback — the league’s oldest active player — threw four touchdowns to four different receivers by early in the fourth quarter of the season opener.
That alone was notable — he had just one game with four touchdown passes all last season. But Rodgers wasn’t done.
With the Steelers trailing 32-31, Rodgers and Pittsburgh got the ball back with 3:13 remaining in the fourth quarter, 81 yards from the end zone. Seven plays later, aided by two long completions from Rodgers and a pass interference drawn on another of his passes, the Steelers moved into position for a game-winning field goal to win 34-32.
Rodgers completed 22 of his 30 passes for 244 yards, and while he was sacked four times, he didn’t throw an interception. He connected with the team’s other notable offensive offseason signing, DK Metcalf, four times for a team-high 83 yards.
The game effectively featured a swap of quarterbacks neither team wanted after last season. Justin Fields, who started the first month in Pittsburgh last year before losing his job to Russell Wilson, also looked revived while completing 16 of his 22 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown and running for two touchdowns, as well.
Rodgers has suggested this could be the final NFL season of his career, which includes a Super Bowl title and four MVP honors. His arm has regularly been one of the league’s strongest, yet a decline in performance in recent years, combined with a slew of off-field headlines derived from his personal stances, had left only a few teams interested in signing Rodgers during the offseason.
Through additions that included adding Metcalf and defensive back Jalen Ramsey in the offseason, Pittsburgh made moves to position itself as a contender in the AFC. The biggest variable was Rodgers. Through one game, he was their biggest asset.
