The Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers seemed destined to come together again this offseason. Now that he is back in the Black and Gold, plenty of people have opinions about what to expect from the four-time MVP in 2026.
Among those is ESPN's Ben Solak, who has already laid out his thoughts on what Rodgers accomplished last season to the dismay of many fans. Appearing on The Mina Kimes Show Ft. Lenny, Solak doubled down on his lack of faith in Rodgers as he enters his 22nd NFL season. While going through a thorough ranking of every team's starting quarterback entering 2026, Solak ranked the Steelers QB 30th.
"I suppose I will take Aaron Rodgers [as the No. 30 QB] because I'm most confident in getting sixteen games out of seventeen games out of him," Solak said of Rodgers. "He cannot move, his accuracy down the field has fallen off precipitously, his accuracy under pressure is the fourth-worst of any quarterback we've seen in the last five years."
ESPN Ben Solak gives scathing ranking Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers
Solak had even more negative things to add about where Rodgers is as a player as he enters his age-43 season, including the idea that he is simply too old to be playing, given his reluctance to take hits.
"The ball is getting out extremely fast behind the line of scrimmage, because he just doesn't want to get contacted. We have a quarterback here who is too old, and is continuing to play despite the fact that he's too old."
Regardless of whether you are a fan of Pittsburgh turning to Rodgers again for this season, it's hard to argue with most of what Solak said here. His overall numbers were respectable last season, throwing for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 16 starts. But the underlying metrics paint a different story, something our very own Tommy Jaggi has preached all offseason prior to Rodgers' return.
Aaron Rodgers in 2025 (among 45 QBs with 100+ snaps):
— Tommy Jaggi (@TommyJaggi) March 20, 2026
🟧23rd in EPA per play (0.02)
🟥35th in success rate (42.34%)
🟥42nd in ADOT (6.39)
🟥43rd in longest time to throw (2.46s)
🟥31st in yards per attempt (6.67)
🟥41st in intended air yards per attempt (6.0)
🟥42nd in completed…
With a better offense infrastructure and his old head coach, Mike McCarthy, in tow, could Rodgers turn back the clock a few years in 2026? Maybe, but it's far from a given that he will suddenly be more aggressive as a passer after years of evidence suggesting otherwise. Maybe his admission that 2026 will be his final season means he will be willing to lay it all on the line, even if it means taking some hits.
I, for one, won't be holding my breath on that.
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