Tim Benz: Aaron Rodgers' public acknowledgment about his future is exactly what the Steelers needed to hear

During Tuesday’s “Pat McAfee Show,” new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers announced that his first season in Pittsburgh is likely to be his last in the NFL.

“I’m pretty sure this is it,” Rodgers said. “That’s why we did a one-year deal. The Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything. This was about finishing with a lot of love, and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had. I’ve played 20 freaking years. It’s been a long run, and I’ve enjoyed it. What better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises in the NFL?”

"I love the game and I dreamed about playing Quarterback..

I wanted to be all in, and the way that I was welcomed into Pittsburgh was very cool..

I'm gonna give the Steelers everything that I've got and I'm gonna empty the tank" @AaronRodgers12 #PMSLive https://t.co/UyNGbsxI8V pic.twitter.com/GrwBR5oYBE

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 24, 2025

That’s good news for the Steelers — if Rodgers means it, of course.

Rodgers could change his mind in January. I mean, he could change his mind after one particularly hot and tiresome training camp practice at Saint Vincent College and just walk off into the cornfields for all I know.

But if the 41-year-old really is approaching his time in Pittsburgh as a one-and-done goodbye to the NFL, that’s the best news the Steelers could have received from that interview.

That means Rodgers should be motivated with a focus on nothing but winning as many playoff games as possible before being eliminated and thrust into retirement.

I’m not sure if some of the other post-Ben Roethlisberger quarterbacks have approached their time here in that manner. I think Russell Wilson saw the Steelers as a one-year chance to scrub his image so he could hit it big in free agency in 2025 — be that with the Steelers or anywhere else in the NFL.

Given how 2024 ended, it didn’t work out that way, and he essentially got into a spot where it was the New York Giants or bust for a modest $11 million.

I think Justin Fields was of a similar mindset. Yet, for him, it was just about proving he could actually play and was worthy of being an NFL starter. Even though he was just an above-average 4-2 as a starter here with so-so numbers, he showed an ability to take better care of the football than he did in Chicago and wound up with $40 million from the New York Jets.

Unfortunately, I think how restrictive the coaching was for him here encouraged Fields to sign elsewhere unless the Steelers came up with a massive offer.

Which they didn’t.

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Mitch Trubisky arrived in Pittsburgh looking for a flat-out career resurrection. At least he signed a two-year deal. However, knowing this stop was his last shot to prove he was a valuable starter, I believe, caused Trubisky to play a little tight and robotic. He was benched four games into his tenure.

Rodgers doesn’t have to worry about such things. He only needs to worry about winning and extending this last season of his for as many postseason games as possible.

Any number higher than “1” would be a significant improvement around these parts from what we have witnessed over the past eight years.

Should that occur, and the fit with Rodgers is good enough that the Steelers finally do win a playoff game for just the third season in the last 15 tries, then maybe Rodgers will change his mind and want to stay.

Under those pie-in-the-sky circumstances, my guess is Pittsburgh would gladly welcome a change of heart from Rodgers.

Right now, though, Steelers fans just want Rodgers’ heart to be in the right place. That right place for the future Hall of Famer is to be in a headspace that channels him on a one-year sprint in Black and Gold.

That’s better than using Acrisure Stadium as a giant career rehabilitation center, as so many others have done in their efforts to turn the page from Roethlisberger on the North Shore.

“I love the game, and it’s been a beautiful relationship. It’s my first love (since) I was 6 years old, dreaming about playing quarterback and being in the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl. I wanted to be all in,” Rodgers said. “I didn’t need this at all. I don’t feel the need to prove anything to anybody or have any chip on my shoulder that I need to hold onto. … I’m going to give the Steelers everything that I’ve got, and I’m going empty the tank.”

It’s usually a lot easier to reach the finish line with a strong kick when you can actually see it. This public acknowledgment from Rodgers is evidence that he can make it out on the horizon.

And it may be the best news we’ve had yet about Rodgers’ potential here since talk of his signing first started to bubble to the surface a few months ago.