Steelers' Arthur Smith And Aaron Rodgers Have "More Middle Ground Than Most People Realize" Heading Into An Important 2025 Season

It has been a very eventful couple of weeks for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed with the team after months of speculation for starters. He showed up to the team's mandatory minicamp just days after officially signing a one-year deal and has been clear since signing that he is very excited about his new opportunity. Even before he signed with Pittsburgh, Rodgers met with newly acquired wide receiver DK Metcalf for a workout, proving that he was always highly interested in the team, even without being officially committed to the Steelers. Now that minicamp has concluded and the NFL enters sort of a quiet period before training camp begins, we are learning of work that will take place during this time to help the Steelers perform better in 2025.

Rodgers will only have been an official member of the Steelers for a little over a month by the time training camp rolls around. While training camp is the best time for teams to work out any kinks in schemes and understand where they may be lacking talent-wise, Rodgers doesn't appear to be waiting around to figure out what the Steelers' offense will look like in 2025. 

Mike DeFabo of The Athletic discussed in his recent mailbag how Rodgers and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith plan to get together and go over the playbook.

"Rodgers and Smith plan to get together this summer to work through the playbook and make tweaks to fit the new QB," DeFabo wrote. "But already, I think there's more middle ground than most people realize."

It is of course a positive thing to know that Rodgers and Smith plan to meet over the summer and go over the playbook. Hopefully, this makes things like communication and familiarity a bit smoother when training camp does roll around. The relationship between Rodgers and Smith seems to be off to a very good start, which is good considering the relationship between Smith and former Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson was rocky, to say the least. 

Although it is early, and we have not seen Rodgers play a game in a Steelers uniform, it is hard to say that Rodgers isn't an upgrade from Wilson. Rodgers did play in 6 more games than Wilson in 2024, but, threw for over 1,400 more yards and threw 12 more touchdowns than Wilson did last season. In a system where Smith and the entire offense have been planning around him for months, it is easy to see how the unit can take a step forward this year with Rodgers under center. 

What Can We Expect From The Steelers' Offense In 2025?

By the time the Steelers take the field for the 2025 season, it will look very different than it did when they took the field to begin the season just a year ago. Rodgers and Metcalf will headline the offense, but new faces like rookie running back Kaleb Johnson and second-year receiver Roman Wilson figure to step in as key contributors for Pittsburgh. 

While there will be plenty of new faces on the offensive side of the ball, we can expect some things to stay the same. Smith and the Steelers are going to continue to make running the ball a point of emphasis. Whether it be with Johnson, or Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh is going to want to be a team that can control the game on the ground. However, this shouldn't stop them from letting Rodgers do what he does best. Rodgers has always been one of the best at reading defenses, and can truly make any throw on the field. With one of the most highly accomplished players as your quarterback, we can reasonably expect Pittsburgh to be a bit more pass-heavy than they have in recent years. How Smith and Rodgers decide to divide the run and the pass will be interesting to monitor as the 2025 season approaches. 

What do you expect from the Steelers' offense this upcoming season? Let us know in the comments below!

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