Everyone suffers from nostalgia at one point or another. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer suggested on March 24 quarterback Aaron Rodgers is feeling that emotion this offseason.
Breer reported that if Rodgers plays during the 2025 NFL season, he is looking for it to be in a situation similar to the one he used to have with the Green Bay Packers.
“I’ve heard Rodgers is looking for a culture such as the one in Green Bay,” wrote Breer.
“I get it if that sounds a little strange after the drama of the four-time MVP’s final years as a Packer. But over the past few months, Aaron Rodgers has been open with people around him on his renewed appreciation for what he had for 18 seasons in Wisconsin. Call it a grass-is-greener dynamic if you want, but it definitely has felt, to some of those around him, like spending a couple years as a New York Jet made Rodgers view the situation he had more favorably.”
Rodgers spent 18 seasons with the Packers before the last two years with the New York Jets. Rodgers didn’t become the team’s starter until his fourth season. But he earned his first Pro Bowl nomination during his second year as a starter in 2009.
Then in 2010, Rodgers led the Packers to the Super Bowl, winning the game’s MVP award, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rodgers then won the league MVP in 2011. He captured the NFL’s most prestigious individual award three more times with the Packers during 2014, 2020 and 2021.
Rodgers is unlikely to return to his MVP form with any team in 2025. But if he desires to play for a club similar to the Packers, the Steelers should have an edge in signing the 41-year-old quarterback.
Similarities Between Steelers & Packers Organizations
Playing in Green Bay is truly a unique experience. From a market size standpoint, the closest place to the small Wisconsin town might be Buffalo.
But the Steelers and Packers aren’t far apart in market size and are similar in so many other ways.
Breer argued that should give the Steelers an advantage in the Rodgers free agency sweepstakes.
“Pittsburgh has a long-established culture, a family-business feel, and stability, just like Green Bay,” Breer wrote. “It also helps, I’d think, that the roster is stocked with decorated veterans such as T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Minkah Fitzpatrick and now DK Metcalf, who are deep into their careers and presumably would carry a similar win-now urgency to Rodgers.”
The New York Giants are an historic franchise but not one that is ready to win in 2025. The Giants also don’t have a small-town feel like Green Bay or Pittsburgh.
From a media standpoint, the Giants would virtually be the same situation for Rodgers as he was in the past two years with the Jets.
Breer’s conclusion that the Steelers have an edge in courting Rodgers isn’t necessarily new. Signs have indicated for more than a week that the Steelers are the favorite to land the 41-year-old.
But Breer’s point about Rodgers’ nostalgic feelings further signal the likelihood the quarterback joins the Steelers.
Breer Predicts Aaron Rodgers Will Visit New York Giants
Rodgers spent roughly six hours at the Steelers facility on March 21. But he left without a deal.
Again, signs point to Rodgers eventually joining the Steelers. But that might not happen before the quarterback visits the Giants.
“Steelers folks seemed to think coming out of their meeting that he’d probably do a similar day with the Giants to get a vibe for their building, and what head coach Brian Daboll and GM Joe Schoen have built,” wrote Breer.
The SI insider added Rodgers still lives in the New York area. So, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to plan a visit to the Giants.
It may come together quickly as his visit to the Steelers on March 21 did.
Returning from a 2023 Achilles tendon, Rodgers led the Jets to a 5-12 record last season. The veteran posted 3,897 passing yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
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