Steelers Now
On the latest episode of the Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast, former Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter Sr. praised the signing of Aaron Rodgers. He thinks the four-time NFL MVP will take the Steelers to the next level.
“Man, me being honest, I was excited,” Porter said. “I got to play against Aaron Rodgers and watch Aaron Rodgers do his thing. I feel like he got a lot of juice left in the arm. … He’s not a guy that is going to go out there and trick it off. He ain’t going to put us in bad situations. We ain’t asking him to save us — we ask him not to lose the four games that we lose every year that we’re not supposed to lose.”
At the age of 41, Rodgers is the oldest player in the NFL, but that doesn’t mean he can no longer sling it. Porter is not the only one who has raved about the arm strength of the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“He’s still throwing the s*** out of the ball, honestly,” a veteran NFL offensive coach said, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. “He’s the best quarterback they’ve had since (Ben Roethlisberger). We will see how the body holds up, but I think he’s going to help them immensely.”
An unnamed AFC executive also praised Rodgers’ arm strength
“Look, the mobility is an issue, there’s no doubt,” the exec said. “But where he helps them is with the plus arm strength and the field vision from the pocket. They haven’t had that. I’m not sure that will be enough, but the offense will be at least respectable.”
Rodgers showed he can still play good football last year with the New York Jets, throwing for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was at his best late in the year, too, which is an encouraging sign for the Steelers. Of Rodgers’ 30 fastest top-speed plays last season, 17 came in Week 13 or later, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated said the Steelers came away pleasantly surprised after doing a thorough study on Rodgers from last season.
“Their study of Rodgers showed a little more than even they expected. Early in the 2024 season, the Achilles, and a hamstring injury to follow, clearly hampered him. But as time wore on, even with the Jets struggling, the Steelers saw Rodgers returning to form,” Breer wrote. “In the Jets’ Halloween game against the Texans, he made a few big-time back-shoulder throws. He played well in both Dolphins games. In Week 16 against the Jaguars, Pittsburgh saw vintage Rodgers, with a late go-ahead touchdown throw to Davante Adams really standing out.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Legend Gives Aaron Rodgers a Ringing Endorsement
