Eisen: Unfinished Business A Big Factor With Steelers' Aaron Rodgers

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to wait on 2025 starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, though things are looking up, as he's taking a trip to the Steel City, more than likely to negotiate a contract to come back. The 42-year-old quarterback led the Steelers to a playoff berth in his first year with the team. He relied on his accuracy and game-manager skills to limit turnovers and keep the offense moving. He wasn't the explosive, high-energy quarterback that he is known for being, but he allowed the Black and Gold to remain competitive. He kept the Steelers' streak of non-losing seasons intact, but fans and players are hungry for a playoff win. 

The Steelers haven't won a playoff game since 2017, when they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. The six-time Super Bowl champions want to get back to the standard that the franchise is known for. The front office has invested a lot more in the offense, changed head coaches, and made some draft picks at much-needed positions. The organization hopes they have done enough to keep the team competitive and potentially get the ever-so-precious playoff win. 

Rodgers' first playoff game with the Steelers ended in disaster, as the team was embarrassed by the Houston Texans at home with a score of 30-6. Rodgers threw for a minuscule 146 yards in that game, and his final pass of the game was a pick-six. He's not known for throwing interceptions, let alone ones that are returned for touchdowns. On The Rich Eisen Show, Rich Eisen spoke about how Rodgers will have a chip on his shoulder if he comes back. This would stem from the embarrassment that could have been the final game of his career. 

"Part of why Rodgers might be coming back is he feels there's unfinished business, and this just in, he might have a chip on his shoulder," Eisen said. 

Rodgers, playing with a chip on his shoulder, could help the Steelers. The team felt stagnant on offense throughout the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. The 2025 offense consisted of a ton of dump-offs, screens, and a lot of dink-and-dunk. Pushing the ball downfield and utilizing the middle of the field were two things that were done rarely. Rodgers proved that, at times, he still had a big arm, but the offense wasn't designed for big plays to happen. This caused drives to stall, as Pittsburgh did little to push the ball and relied way too much on yards-after-catch from the dump-offs. 

With former head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down and then moving to the media side of football, the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy for the job. He won a Super Bowl with Rodgers during their time with the Green Bay Packers, so the two have existing chemistry. McCarthy is an offensively-driven coach who relies a lot on an air attack. Pittsburgh added more offensive weapons this offseason through free agency, trades, and the draft. He'll open up the offense a lot more, allowing Rodgers to have a more high-powered offense compared to 2025. 

The Steelers Added Plenty Of Weapons For Rodgers

Rodgers probably doesn't want his career to end with an interception and an embarrassing playoff loss. To help combat the offensive woes, the future Hall of Famer will have a bounty of effective weapons. Last season, outside of DK Metcalf, the Steelers' wide receivers were subpar. This was immediately rectified in the offseason when the team traded for Michael Pittman Jr. and added wide receiver Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. 

These moves, just on the pass-catcher side of things, will really help Rodgers. He'll have much more effective receivers than before. The lack of weapons really limited what he could do. Between the improved weapons, a quarterback-friendly offensive coach, and a chip on his shoulder, Rodgers has a chance to be effective for Pittsburgh. 

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