Aaron Rodgers‘ signing with the Steelers didn’t feel like a contract; it felt like the close of a long, strenuous chapter. But one that you need to get through to reach the main plot. The waiting game made almost everyone in the franchise uneasy. A one-year, $13.65 million deal (up to $19.5 million including incentives) was announced on June 7, and just like that, the four-time MVP and Super Bowl champ is Pittsburgh’s quarterback for 2025.

Rodgers played just four snaps for the Jets in 2023, his fresh start snapped by an Achilles tear. But he looked great in 2024, with 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Rather, his numbers did. The results didn’t follow, and new HC Aaron Glenn sent him packing from New York. Now he’s in a city that lives and dies by defense and history.

One of its biggest legends, Ben Roethlisberger, the last stable QB in black and gold, isn’t exactly sold. “I don’t think he’s got much more after this year. This might be it for him, personally. I’m just guessing.” Roethlisberger said on his Footbahlin podcast. “He’s coming, one year, last year off his Achilles. He’s probably like, ‘I felt pretty good.’ This year, he’s going to be better in the sense of (his) body feeling better. That doesn’t mean he’ll play better. There’s a lot of other factors on that.” It wasn’t malicious, just a man who’s been there, done that. Roethlisberger fought back from his own elbow injury in 2019, made it through two more years, and knows what it takes to mentally stay in the game after your body starts tapping out. But what if Rodgers is different?

Dr. Deepak Chona, a sports medicine analyst, believes the legend might be wrong. He pointed to hard data: production in year two after an Achilles tear is often better than in year one. Strength improves up to 18 months post-op. Rodgers may already be feeling it. He posted a 9:2 TD-to-INT ratio and a 100+ QBR in three of his final five games last season. He posted four 100+ QBR outings and a 19-7 ratio in the starting 12 games of the season. That’s not decline, but a curve upward.

Still, Pittsburgh is not New York. And it’s definitely not Green Bay. Rodgers won’t wear No. 12 because that belongs to Terry Bradshaw. He’ll wear No. 8 again. Is this his last dance? Or the first step toward one final rewrite? Time will tell. But this is Pittsburgh. You don’t just sign a quarterback here. You want him to lead from the front. And Rodgers?

He’s either about to go out with a bang or remind us all he was already gone. While the legends make projections about his career, he is busy planning his next move.

Aaron Rodgers planning next big move with Steelers WR

In Pittsburgh, the Aaron Rodgers era has just begun, but out west in California, it’s already heating up. Before a single snap in black and gold, Rodgers and DK Metcalf are putting in quiet, calculated work, building the connection that could define the Steelers’ 2025 season. They have already shown glimpses of bonding in the UCLA throwing sessions and Cam Heyward’s Iron for Impact charity golf event.

“Yes sir. We’re both based out in California,” Metcalf told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette during mandatory minicamp. “So, yeah, planning on getting together with him, throwing sessions, just watching film or talking ball.” At 6-foot-4, 228 pounds with Olympic-level speed, Metcalf has been a freakish talent without a consistent elite passer since his rookie year.

Aaron Rodgers, running out of seasons but not ambition, knows that this bond isn’t optional. It’s the game plan, and their lifeline to one last deep playoff run. The offseason narrative is becoming plot of a Hollywood movie, an aging legend, a prime playmaker, and a franchise hungry for relevance again. And if these California sessions turn into serious chemistry, Steelers fans might get more than a comeback. Fireworks!