NFC Coach Believes Rodgers Can ‘Nonetheless Throw It As Good As Anyone’

What exactly will the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense look like in 2025? With QB Aaron Rodgers, you can expect more emphasis on throwing the ball, right? But offensive coordinator Arthur Smith loves the run game. And so does Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Tomlin wants to control the game, and handing the ball off helps that immensely. First, it’s a fundamentally safer play than throwing the ball. Secondly, it can help control the time of possession. Defensive-minded coaches love that sort of thing.

But a strong running game could also be of great help to Aaron Rodgers. If the Steelers can run the ball effectively, it can force defenses to focus on stopping the run. And according to an NFC coach who spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Monzano for his 32 Teams in 32 Days piece on the Steelers, that focus is going to be good for Rodgers because he can still throw the ball really well.

“According to an NFC coach, Rodgers should thrive in Pittsburgh because of the Steelers’ proven track record of playing stout defense and committing to the running game,” wrote Manzano before quoting the anonymous coach. “Aaron will have a chance to take advantage of the coverages that come from [a balanced attack]. … Aaron can still throw it as good as anybody in the NFL right now. I think it’s a great match. It’s a good place for him.”

The NFC coach isn’t the first person to say Rodgers can still throw the ball. Local analyst Richie Walsh was impressed the first time he saw Rodgers practice with the Steelers. But what does that have to do with the Steelers’ running game?

The hope is that this offseason’s talent infusion, led by rookie RB Kaleb Johnson, plus more time for the young offensive linemen making up the majority of the line, will help kickstart the Steelers’ running game. The Steelers’ run game was more a product of the quantity of carries in 2024 rather than the quality of results. They ran the ball 533 times, fourth-most in the league. And they had the 11th-most rushing yards at 2,166. But their 4.1 yards-per-carry average ranked 25th in the league. The plan is for that to be much better in 2025.

And that could keep pressure off the nearly 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers. There is no doubt Rodgers wants to throw the ball, as one of the reasons he signed with the Steelers was the opportunity to throw to WR DK Metcalf. A quality running game can open up opportunities for Rodgers and company. And he’s got the arm to take advantage of those opportunities. Plus, if the Steelers’ defense keeps playing the way it has recently, Rodgers won’t be asked to single-handedly win games all that often.

However, there are a lot of moving pieces to figure out before Week 1. Will OT Broderick Jones play better back at his natural left tackle position? And will that help boost the offensive line’s performance even more? Will the Steelers add another wide receiver? And can offensive coordinator Arthur Smith make a unified, balanced offense? If so, the Steelers could be in a good position for 2025.

At least one NFC coach thinks that the Steelers are a good spot for Aaron Rodgers.