Going into the season, no one expects the Pittsburgh Steelers to do much. Aaron Rodgers is back as the starting quarterback and is working in tandem with Mike McCarthy as his head coach for the first time since 2018. They're both old men for their profession, and it will be interesting to see if the change in coaching can alter the Steelers' outcome this season.
During an appearance on the NFL Daily podcast with Gregg Rosenthal, former Aaron Rodgers teammate J.J. Jansen spoke some potentially harsh truths to Pittsburgh. They shouldn't expect much of a difference going with the Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy tandem compared to what they've grown accustomed to.
Perhaps Rodgers will have something to say about this unfavorable outlook.
"I thought Aaron played OK last year. You’re not paying Aaron $45, $50 million. … I still feel like they’re a 9-8 team." Jansen continued, "They’re gonna beat some teams that they shouldn’t, and they’re gonna lose some games that they shouldn’t."
On the surface, looking at this statement, it's easy to say nothing Jansen said was untrue. This is what the Steelers have done under Mike Tomlin for the past nine years of their existence. The team cannot overcome this trend that Jansen describes, and the playoff drought doesn't have an end in sight. With that said, Aaron Rodgers will want to do everything possible to prove the doubters wrong.
Pittsburgh Steelers tandem of Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy get officially put on notice
For those who don't know, Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Jansen were teammates in Green Bay for the 2008 calendar, but the pair have kept in contact during their long-lasting careers. Jansen is a long-time long snapper who has played every season outside of 2008 with the Panthers. Jansen believes his former teammate has some juice left in the tank, but not enough to carry the Steelers on his back.
Jansen explained, "I would certainly trust the ball in Aaron’s hand in the fourth quarter, but it’s sort of just an uninteresting 9-8, 10-7, 7-10 kind of team for me."
Again, nothing that Jansen is saying is new to the Steelers in recent memory. People can only see them as mediocre frauds who only envision themselves as contenders every season. In reality, they are a bunch of posers to most NFL spectators, and that is a reputation that has been hard to shake.
The hope is that with McCarthy in the building, those thoughts start to change into positive results on the field.
He didn't outright question Rodgers' abilities in his statements, but Jansen should be careful. Rodgers and the Steelers play the Carolina Panthers in Week 16 of the season, and you better believe the veteran quarterback wants to prove to Jansen and any other doubters out there that he still has plenty left in the tank. Rodgers wants to win, and these comments will only add fuel to the fire.
When this season is all said and done, don't be surprised if Jansen's record prediction for Pittsburgh holds.
They are in a similar situation as last season, so not much change will come from it. They could be a team that sneaks into the playoffs, and if a bounce or two go in their favor, both Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy could finally end the postseason curse.
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