Aaron Rodgers Joins Steelers: Fantasy Fallout & Playoff Pressure in 2025

The quarterback carousel has been a crazy ride in the 2025 NFL offseason. The biggest name in free agency, Aaron Rodgers, will reportedly sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of next week's minicamp. This move shakes up the fantasy football landscape immensely.

Aaron Rodgers Fantasy Football Outlook

The New York Jets decided to part ways with Rodgers after two underwhelming seasons, marking the end of an experiment that never came close to living up to expectations. After an injury ended his 2023 campaign before he even completed a single pass, the hype was real for Rodgers and Gang Green heading into the 2024 season. Despite being surrounded with a talented arsenal of weapons including Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, plus Breece Hall in the backfield, Rodgers finished with just 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

The 41-year-old started all 17 games but his pedestrian 15.7 fantasy points per game resulted in him being the 19th best quarterback in 2024 fantasy football leagues.

Rodgers needed a change of scenery, but the future is uncertain as we all know that father time is undefeated.

The Pittsburgh Steelers entered the offseason with major question marks at the quarterback position. Both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, who saw time as the team's starter last season, tested the free agency market and neither returned to Pittsburgh. Fields signed with the New York Jets while Wilson signed with the New York Giants. That left a vacancy at the most important position and after acquiring DK Metcalf in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, upgrading from Fields and Wilson to Rodgers makes a lot of sense. However, after sending George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, the Steelers need some upgrades at the wide receiver position if Rodgers is going to help them reach the postseason.

Rodgers clearly has a better resume than Mason Rudolph or rookie Will Howard, featuring four MVP awards and a Super Bowl ring, but he's been a shell of his former self in each of the last three years. Perhaps an offensive line that will keep him on his feet will result in a resurgance.

A healthy Rodgers in Pittsburgh's offense should result in a bump in value for all Steelers pass catchers. In 2024, the Steelers were primarily a defensive-minded team that tended to utilize a ground-and-pound approach on offense. And despite the loss of Najee Harris to the Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh aquired Kaleb Johnson out of Iowa State in the NFL Draft. With Jaylen Warren still in the mix, the Steelers are going to play smash mouth football. But with Rodgers under center, the passing game playbook opens up quite a bit.

With the recently acquired Metcalf and big tight end Pat Freiermuth, Rodgers has no excuse for failing to live up to expectations yet again. Both of those pass catchers will see their respective ADP (Average Draft Position) rise in the coming weeks, especially given the lack of alternative options in the wide receiver room.

Clearly, the Steelers believe in the veteran signal caller and Rodgers has a huge opportunity to prove his critics wrong in 2025. Ultimately, he'll be judged on whether or not he can lead the Steelers to the playoffs but for fantasy football purposes, managers should expect middle-of-the-road numbers. He'll be a top-20 quarterback and he may produce QB1 numbers in certain exploitable matchups but he'll be hard pressed to finish among the top 12 players at the position.