Is This The Greatest TE Room of Aaron Rodgers’ Profession?

Aaron Rodgers has played 20 seasons in the NFL, having spent two decades throwing passes to numerous pass catchers. Entering his 21st season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he now finds himself surrounded by a new host of weapons at wide receiver, tight end, and running back that he will have to jell with quickly for this offense to have the success they desperately need in 2025.

At tight end, Rodgers has the pleasure of playing with one of the deepest rooms of his career, having the likes of Pat Freiermuth, Jonnu Smith, and Darnell Washington at his disposal. The question is… is this tight end room in Pittsburgh the best Rodgers has had throughout his illustrious NFL career?

Unlike QB Patrick Mahomes, who has had the honor of playing with future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce every year since entering the league, Rodgers hasn’t had that luxury. He has seen many names come and go over his extensive time with the Green Bay Packers. At the early stages of his career, Rodgers had the combination of Jermichael Finley and either Donald Lee or Andrew Quarless to throw to.

Finley’s career was cut short due to injuries in 2013, but the former third-round pick out of Texas back in 2008 was a tall and athletic pass catcher for Rodgers when healthy. He had his best season in 2011, when he caught 55 passes for 767 yards and eight touchdowns. Lee and Quarless were more role players who both saw extensive starting time in Green Bay, but neither was a star pass catcher.

In 2016, Aaron Rodgers had the duo of Jared Cook and Richard Rodgers to throw to. Cook underwhelmed in his lone season in Green Bay, just catching 30 passes for 377 yards and one touchdown, while Rodgers caught 30 passes for 271 yards and two scores.

2019 was a more interesting year with Rodgers having both Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis at his disposal. Graham was a five-time Pro Bowler coming into Green Bay and the most highly-touted tight end that Rodgers had played with to date. However, Graham could not produce at the same level he had in New Orleans, catching just 38 passes for 447 yards and three scores in 2019, while Lewis mainly operated as a blocking tight end, catching 15 passes for 156 yards and one score.

Before leaving Green Bay for the New York Jets, Rodgers had the group of Lewis, Robert Tonyan, and Josiah Deguara to throw to. Tonyan was the most notable of those names, having a strong 2020 campaign where he caught 52 passes (on 59 targets) for 586 yards and a whopping 11 touchdowns. However, he was never able to reclaim that form as a pass catcher and has since bounced around the league after dealing with an injury-riddled 2021 campaign.

While Aaron Rodgers has played with some notable names, it’s a fair argument that the tight end room in Pittsburgh may be the best he’s played with yet. Freiermuth has played at a comparable (if not better) level to Finley and Tonyan, and Jimmy Graham wasn’t the player he once was during his tenure in Green Bay. Jonnu Smith is coming off his best season, where he got a Pro Bowl nod, and his projected usage all over the field as a movable chess piece in OC Arthur Smith’s offense should afford him the opportunities to produce a strong season, even if there is some drop-off from a season ago.

While Darnell Washington’s role as a pass catcher likely diminished with the arrival of Smith, Aaron Rodgers is still high on him, comparing him to a young Marcedes Lewis when it comes to his size, athleticism at that size, and his blocking prowess. Pittsburgh’s top three at tight end is as strong as any in the league after the acquisition of Smith, and Rodgers will benefit from this group as a strong argument for the best he will play with over the course of his career.