“I just like the newness of it all,” Aaron Rodgers’ elation after finally hitching his possibly final ride to the Steelers didn’t go unnoticed. And why wouldn’t he be happy? That “newness” wasn’t just about the city. It was about escaping the baggage. After a bruising Jets stint capped by an Achilles tear, and a season lost before it began, Rodgers was the Cinderella desperately looking for his lost shoe. One that would be the happy ending of his fairytale.

He didn’t want to be anyone’s mentor or culture-setter anymore. That’s why when the Giants tried pulling him into their quarterback search, he was immediately out. As Albert Breer noted in Sports Illustrated, the Giants’ approach resembled what the Jets tried to do with him in 2023 — plug him into a young, ambitious locker room and expect him to fast-track the development curve. It didn’t work then. It wasn’t going to work now.

Instead, he found something steadier in Pittsburgh. A franchise that’s been competitive for two decades. A locker room full of vets who’ve been through playoff runs, contract wars, and a burn to snap a Super Bowl drought that started after Rodgers beat them in 2011. The shoe had finally fit Cinderella.

On June 25, Chris Carter of the Locked On Steelers podcast brought clarity to what many suspected. 2025 is likely Aaron Rodgers’ final ride. Carter pegged it at “98%” that Rodgers walks away after this season, unless, of course, Pittsburgh surprises everyone with a dream run. If that happens, a return at 42 isn’t off the table. But unlike the 2023 Jets experiment, this fit in Pittsburgh feels aligned.

Rodgers joined a locker room with battle-tested names like Cameron Heyward, Jalen Ramsey, and Darius Slay — players closer to his own stage of life and career. Even 27-year-old DK Metcalf brings six seasons of experience. No one’s asking Rodgers to babysit. He’s been given the space to focus solely on playing quarterback and chasing wins, without the extra responsibility of shepherding a locker room through a rebuild. That’s why Pittsburgh works. The team hasn’t won a playoff game in over eight years, but with Rodgers, Tomlin is eyeing an end to that drought. And if this season ends just short of a Super Bowl, retirement talk might just get delayed.

Still, Rodgers hasn’t entirely shed the mentor role. He’s just doing it on his terms. Whether it was Jordan Love in Green Bay or Zach Wilson in New York, Rodgers has made a habit of passing down knowledge. Pittsburgh rookie Will Howard could be next in line, and Rodgers isn’t hiding that. On The Pat McAfee Show, he made it clear: he’s in Pittsburgh to win, not to stall, but if his time with the Steelers sets up their next quarterback, so be it. That’s the plan. Compete for a title, hand off the future, and finally walk away satisfied.

Giants won’t repeat Pittsburgh’s Russell Wilson gamble

For a Pittsburgh team that went 10-7 and still called it “progress”, last season’s offense was anything but. The playbook felt stuck, the rhythm was missing, and Russell Wilson? He could manage one solid half before reverting to a ghost of himself. Fans weren’t just frustrated; they wanted Mike Tomlin to pull the plug and turn the offense over to Justin Fields.

But Tomlin stood firm, choosing loyalty over change. “Not really, no,” he answered when asked if Fields was an option. “Our failures were collective…the most prudent thing for us to do was stick with those that were on the field and work through it.” Now, Brian Daboll and the Giants find themselves holding the same Wilson dilemma. Except this time, there’s already a backup plan mapped out. Pro Football Focus echoed that sentiment, noting Wilson is effectively paving the way for Jaxson Dart.

Ian Rapoport didn’t sugarcoat it either: “It’s clearly a matter of when, not if,” he said on The Insiders, predicting Dart’s ascent. That’s the difference. New York isn’t waiting for things to spiral. The leash on Wilson is short, and the 22-year-old rookie from Ole Miss is waiting. Dart’s 4,276 passing yards and 29 touchdowns last year weren’t just padding his resume. They were a signal that he’s ready to challenge for the job early. If Wilson stumbles even slightly, the Giants are ready to make the switch without hesitation.

Inside the Giants’ facility, the shift in energy is palpable. Rookie camp begins this week, full training camp soon after, and the anticipation is building at MetLife. The depth chart may list Wilson at the top for now, but the buzz hasn’t wavered. Dart is seen as more than just the future. He’s the inevitable successor, and the clock on Russell Wilson has already started ticking.