ESPN Analysts say health, playoff win is success for Aaron Rodgers, Pittsburgh Steelers

The expectations are a little all over when it comes to the Steelers, especially following their signing of QB Aaron Rodgers earlier this month. Those on ‘Get Up’ on Tuesday morning, though, were looking for two boxes to be checked by Rodgers and Pittsburgh.

Ryan Clark, Dominique Foxworth, and Dan Graziano debated what would equal a successful season for Pittsburgh in 2025 on ‘Get Up’. Clark began the segment saying he was looking for at least one playoff win, if not more, from the Steelers while Rodgers individually had to stay healthy and be a little more productive in the pass game.

“I mean, first thing is health. I think, secondly, it would be Aaron Rodgers playing above average in the pass game this entire season. And getting this team past the first round of the playoffs,” Clark determined. “We know that Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to get one playoff win in almost over a decade, in almost a decade. So, for Aaron Rodgers to come in there and to lead that thing that pushes them over the top in a Wild Card game, gets them to the Divisional Round of the playoff, maybe even an ACF Championship? To me, that’s the ceiling for this team and that would constitute success. And it wouldn’t be one of those situations where we’re expecting them to win it all.”

Foxworth agreed with Clark when it came to Rodgers specifically and the Steelers in general. He’s looking for a postseason victory from Pittsburgh in part led by a healthy, proficient version of their nearly 42-year-old quarterback with Rodgers.

“Yeah, I mean, I think you have to combine the expectations for Aaron Rodgers with the expectations of the Steelers and I think that lands at winning at least one playoff game,” said Foxworth. “I think the Mike Tomlin situation in Pittsburgh? The fanbase at least is getting a little tired of being really, really good all the time but not winning a playoff game, which I’m sure a lot of teams would trade with them immediately. But, expectations there are what they are. And, with Aaron Rodgers, I think health is the most, the biggest thing that he needs to overcome at this point in his career and at this age. He needs to be healthy and get them to, and past, the Wild Card round of the playoffs. After that, anything on top of that would be icing on the cake.”

Graziano also was with them when it came to this season, especially when it came to their first playoff win since 2017, for Pittsburgh. However, he thinks, if that doesn’t look like it’ll happen for the Steelers with Rodgers, it would be just as good for them to be unsuccessful, leading to a losing record and, with that, a draft pick that could get them out of this spot moving forward.

“I think the two years with the Jets reminded us where he is in his career, which is certainly not at the beginning or the middle. And he gets hurt and misses a full season and then he has the ups and downs of last year,” Graziano said. “So, yes, I think that, if you’re the Steelers and you’re Aaron Rodgers? I feel like the fanbase, and I don’t like to speak for a fanbase. But it seems to me that the only way they’d be happy is a playoff run or, like, they stink and they can draft whoever they want next year at quarterback. I feel like those are the two outcomes if you’re a Steelers fan and you’re hoping for one of them.”

Again, the Steelers have been an above-average team still over the past seven seasons at 67-47 (.588) since 2018. That just hasn’t necessarily meant success either, missing the playoffs in three of those and losing their four postseason berths in their first game in the Wild Card. That has some sense of pressure on their 19th season under Tomlin as it reaches near a decade since the franchise’s last successes in the NFL Playoffs.

For that to happen in 2025, Rodgers is going to have to play better than he had over his past two full seasons, three in total, with the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets. That’s with his numbers dropping to 63.8% completion for an average of 3,796 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 11.5 interceptions per season since 2022. That’s what Pittsburgh is trusting in as they held out in order to sign him as their quarterback until the start of June.

A lot of eyes are going to be on the Steelers, and certainly so now with Rodgers actually ending up there this offseason. That’s with an extra emphasis on them not just being in the playoffs but advancing once they get there in January.