Aaron Rodgers to Steelers winners and losers, from Kirk Cousins and Mike Tomlin to Justin Jefferson

Yahoo

a day ago

The Pittsburgh Steelers had been waiting for this domino to fall.
And they were far from the only members of the NFL world keeping close eyes on Aaron Rodgers' next move.
On Thursday, Rodgers' roughly three-month dalliance with free agency came to end. The four-time MVP quarterback and Steelers agreed to a one-year deal pending a physical, the team confirmed, with the expectation that Rodgers will report to Pittsburgh ahead of the Steelers' mandatory minicamp next week.
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The ramifications of this budding marriage ripple broadly for players, coaches, league executives and more in the NFL. Who comes out ahead? Here are our Yahoo Sports winners and losers as Aaron Rodgers prepares to sign with the Steelers:
Winners
The NFL schedule makers
NFL vice president of broadcasting and scheduling Mike North and his team faced a challenge when compiling the 2025 NFL schedule: Should they create a schedule with the expectation Rodgers signs with the Steelers and risk underwhelming prime-time games, or should they operate based on existing rosters and potentially bury prestige matchups? They did the former, and their bet pays off. Rodgers is now slated to play his first game in a Steelers uniform against the New York Jets team that discarded him this offseason. And Oct. 26 on Monday Night Football, the Steelers will host the only NFL club Rodgers hasn't yet played against: the Green Bay Packers he represented for 18 years. North has reason to toast.
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Mike Tomlin, the coach
Mike Tomlin's Super Bowl championship and two AFC titles will one day be headlines in his Pro Football Hall of Fame candidacy. But expect the committee to discuss not only Tomlin's ceiling but also his floor. Tomlin has remarkably never coached a losing season in 18 years at the Pittsburgh helm. Rodgers should help extend that trend as a clear upgrade over OTAs leader Mason Rudolph. Even at 41 years old, Rodgers is coming off a 3,897-yard, 28-touchdown campaign with a spiraling Jets team. With a more solid foundation and talented roster, Rodgers joins a Steelers team that should again expect a high floor.
The Steelers' offensive cohesion
Many expected Rodgers to sign with Pittsburgh after mandatory minicamp, reducing chatter around his decision to participate in the last team activities before clubs break. Rodgers missed last year's Jets' mandatory minicamp to travel to Egypt – drawing disapproval from many, including then-head coach Robert Saleh who publicly confirmed Rodgers' absence was unexcused. Rodgers easily could have returned down that road and shown up for training camp in late July, his individual performance likely reaching the same caliber. But quarterbacks and their targets are two of the groups who benefit most from spring practices, as playmakers start learning their counterparts' timing, rhythm and preferred interpretation of routes even amid unrealistic freedom from physicality and live pass rush. Getting through introductions, creating goodwill before the break – expect the charismatic, charming Rodgers to do that easily – and beginning group discussions of the playbook will help the Steelers come September.
Lovers of AFC North drama
The producers of 'Hard Knocks' are probably disappointed they already featured the AFC North in last year's divisional series. Because the drama quotient keeps rising this offseason. Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow have long been two of the league's five or so best quarterbacks. The Steelers are now bringing in the most individually decorated active quarterback in the league. And the Cleveland Browns … may somehow still front the most intriguing group? Cleveland's quarterback depth chart pivoted quickly from an injured Deshaun Watson to the four-way battle between Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. The wide range of ages, experience levels and quite frankly Sanders' fame level will keep eyes on them even as all four pale in comparison to the MVP-caliber quarterbacks they'll face in six division games.
T.J. Watt
The Steelers' defense, anchored by four-time All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt, has ranked top 10 in scoring during six of Watt's eight seasons. Pittsburgh's offense, during that stretch, has managed just two top-10 marks – and none since 2018. Rodgers gives the Steelers a higher collective ceiling than they've had in the last decade, and he comes at a moment when fans are eager for a palate cleanser. Ben Roethlisberger's career fizzled toward the end, due to both injuries and decline in production. Then came the draft miss on Pickett, a revolving door of Mitchell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph, and last year's two-man show. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields each had their moments on 2024 tryout contracts – but neither alleviated sufficient pressure from Pittsburgh's defense. With the arrival of Rodgers and receiver D.K. Metcalf, Watt and his defensive colleagues may not need to carry as heavy a load this year.
Losers
Kirk Cousins
Atlanta Falcons veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins skipped (albeit nonmandatory) OTAs as he continues to hope the Falcons will deal him to a team that will let him start. Instead, Cousins remains firmly on Atlanta's roster – where 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. has supplanted the veteran on the depth chart, despite the Falcons guaranteeing Cousins $100 million just last spring. The Falcons already lost one seemingly natural trade partner when the Browns selected Gabriel and Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft. Now, the last team desperate for quarterback help is finalizing a resolution. Cousins' best bet at starting this season is a sidelining-caliber injury to a starter. The longer he's in Atlanta, the more likely his backup campaign becomes.
Mike Tomlin, the leader
Few in the league truly have lost faith in Rodgers' on-field ability. He was inconsistent last year but still played stretches at a high level while managing to be available 17 games the first season after suffering an Achilles tear. The bigger question around the league is how Rodgers will handle his relationships in the building, directly and indirectly. For a coach like Tomlin whose unfettered authority has extended further than arguably any of his counterparts in recent years – how will that work? Will Rodgers appearing weekly on the Pat McAfee Show sit well with the coach who has built a resumé more prolific than Rodgers' recent leaders? Will Rodgers be allowed the leeway to bring along coaches and players, as he did in New York? How will the Steelers' robust platform amplify distractions, miscommunications and veiled messages? Some executives across the league believe the Steelers were so desperate for a quarterback they couldn't afford to let team culture implications hinder this move. And perhaps Rodgers will be so delighted to play for a high-functioning organization that he'll get in line, or winning will mask all wounds. But if Rodgers' past history with coaches is any indication, let's not pretend Tomlin's authority won't face questions – during and after Rodgers' time in the building.
Justin Jefferson
By all accounts, the Minnesota Vikings were Aaron Rodgers' top-choice team this offseason. Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell and Rodgers had a conversation about a potential marriage, Rodgers even reportedly offering to play for $10 million if it meant the caliber of roster and play-caller that Minnesota provides. When the Vikings opted to stick with unproven 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, they confirmed star receiver Justin Jefferson would be teaming up with a rookie rather than a four-time NFL MVP. To Jefferson's credit, he's excelled with every quarterback the Vikings have played and should be expected to again this year. Jefferson has averaged 1,641 receiving yards and nine touchdowns per year in his first five NFL seasons. So will he be fine with McCarthy? Sure. But the Vikings will likely shift to a more run-heavy scheme to support McCarthy, reducing Jefferson's opportunities compared to if Rodgers came to town.
Father Time
First, Tom Brady played until he was 45 years old and won a Super Bowl at 43. Now, after playing all 17 games at 40 a year removed from tearing his Achilles, Rodgers is poised to join the Steelers at 41 years old. The only thing more damaging to Father Time would be if Rodgers integrates the realities of his aging into his game planning to further shield himself from retirement. What would that look like? One of Brady's great successes playing well into his 40s was his honesty assessing his strengths and weaknesses, and leaning into his strengths. Brady's secret weapon was never an elite arm nor rare athleticism; he thrived off untopped preparation and killer decision-making. Rodgers possesses that high-level, rapid-speed processing and hasn't lost his strong arm. But he's still coming to terms with the reduction of his mobility and athleticism. The quicker he adjusts accordingly, the greater his chance of playing more consistently than last season.
The 'stick to sports' chorus
Whether fans agree with Rodgers' opinions and beliefs or don't (he shares enough that it's easy to fall in both categories!), no one can argue Rodgers focuses on football and winning alone. He's immensely talented and also immensely in the public eye, from his McAfee appearances that go beyond the stage of his quarterback counterparts to his near-candidacy for presidency with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and beyond. Rodgers has generated headlines surrounding vaccinations, ayahuasca and more. What will be next? The Steelers will soon find out.