Super Bowl XLV-Winning Quarterback Agrees to One-Year Deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers
This past season, the Pittsburgh Steelers claimed the AFC North Division after defeating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 in a wild 26-24 victory. With a 10-7 record and home-field advantage, they faced the Houston Texans in what could have been future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers last game of his career. Houston blew by Pittsburgh with a 30-6 win, advancing to the Divisional Round. Since being eliminated from the NFL Playoffs, the Super Bowl XLV Champion quarterback has been contemplating his next move. It was announced by NFL insider Adam Schefter today that the 42-year-old has signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The future Hall of Famer started his college career at Butte College, playing his first two seasons with the Roadrunners. He then transferred to the University of California during his junior season. With the Golden Bears, Rodgers threw 5,469 passing yards and 43 touchdowns in his two seasons at California. The Super Bowl XLV Champion quarterback was selected by the Green Bay Packers with the 24th pick in the 2005 NFL Draft. Green Bay chose Rodgers to be Brett Favre’s replacement, which happened to be one of the biggest stories coming out of the 2005 draft. It wasn’t until 2008 that Rodgers was transferred into a starting role with the Packers. In 2010, the Packers entered the NFL Playoffs as the sixth seed in the NFC with a 10-6 record. Green Bay defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, and Chicago Bears to advance to Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers. During the Super Bowl, Rodgers threw for 304 passing yards and three touchdowns in a 31-25 win. Rodgers was named the Super Bowl MVP. This would be the only Super Bowl appearance for the future Hall of Fame quarterback while wearing a Packers uniform.
Even though Rodgers would end up winning four NFL MVP Awards while in Green Bay, he and the Packers could never match the success they had during the 2010 season. In his time in Green Bay, the future Hall of Fame quarterback won a Super Bowl, became Super Bowl MVP, a four-time MVP, and a 10-time Pro Bowler. He led the NFL in passer rating four times, touchdowns twice, and led the league in completion percentage in 2020. After the 2022 season, Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets along with the Packers 2023 first and fifth-round picks in exchange for the Jets' first, second, and sixth round selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. Rodgers and New York failed to meet expectations. During the first game of the 2023 season against the Buffalo Bills, the 42-year-old tore his Achilles tendon. The next season, the Jets finished with a 5-12 record. With both sides disappointed in the past two seasons’ results, Rodgers agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers.
Rodgers played 16 games for Pittsburgh this past season. He threw 3,322 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions with a 66 percent pass completion. During the Steelers' huge Week 18 win over the Ravens, the future Hall of Fame quarterback threw a season-high 294 passing yards with a touchdown. The Steelers know what they have in Rodgers, and they’ll look to contend at the highest level next season. Rodgers has been looking into retirement, and at his age, it only makes sense. Potentially, the next time we see the Super Bowl XLV Champion quarterback is at the Hall of Fame.
