It’s been four years since Aaron Rodgers last won a playoff game, and one of his former teammates in Green Bay doesn’t think that drought will be ending this year. Former Packers linebacker Brady Poppinga thinks Rodgers could end up having a long season in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have been in quarterback purgatory since Ben Roethlisberger retired, and they’re hoping a 41-year-old Rodgers can solve that. Poppinga doesn’t sound so optimistic about the chances of that happening.
Why Rodgers might struggle
During a recent interview on Infinity Sports Network’s “Reiter Than You” with Bill Reiter, Poppinga explained why he thinks the four-time MVP is going to struggle this year.
“I went to the Jets-Patriots game last year, and the thing that was sticking out about Aaron that was different was simply, it’s almost this unwillingness — I wouldn’t say unwillingness, because he’s tough — it’s almost like the body is tired and doesn’t want to take the hit,” Poppinga said. “There’s a lot of flinching, there’s a lot of, I would say his vision is going from reading the field to the rush, which isn’t usually normal for high-level quarterbacks. High-level quarterbacks are kind of able to feel the rush and then they’re able to then keep their eyes downfield.”
Rodgers has always had great field vision, but as Poppinga explains, when you get older as a quarterback, you start to worry about the big hits that might be coming your way, which causes you to take your eyes off your receivers and toward the pass rush that’s headed your way.
The former Packers linebacker thinks that will be a huge issue for Rodgers in 2025.
“As soon as you take your eye sight from the field — which is where your receivers are and how they’re spread out and configured in space versus the defenders — a receiver literally could come open and all of a sudden could become covered in a tenth of a second,” Poppinga said. “By the time you’re looking down at the rush and then back up to where you don’t see them even come open or even have a chance to come in open space. And that’s where I see him and that comes with age. It just a reality. It’s just human nature. Your body gets tired of getting hit, once it does, you begin to what I call flinch.”
The New York Jets definitely struggled last year when Rodgers was taking hits. In games where Rodgers was sacked three or more times, the Jets went 1-7. On the flip side, the Jets went 4-5 in any game where Rodgers was sacked two times or less.
NFL minicamp overreactions: Bengals in the wrong with first-rounder? Steelers 10-win team with Aaron Rodgers?
Jeff Kerr
Father Time eventually catches everyone
Poppinga spent six seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay (2005-10) and he even won a Super Bowl with the quarterback, so he knows how tough Rodgers is, but he also knows that Father Time eventually catches up to everyone.
“It’s not that he’s being weak, it’s not that he’s not tough, it’s just that you’re getting tired,” Poppinga said. “Tom Brady went through it. Brett Favre went through it, but everybody goes through it in the game of football.”
It’s one thing to take that beating when you’re younger, but Poppinga thinks it will be tough for Rodgers to take that at 41. Rodgers has been sacked a total of 571 times in his career, which is the NFL record for most sacks taken by a quarterback.
“The problem with that is that, for over 17 games, he’s not going to be able to play at a caliber that’s going to drive them to be playoff contenders,” Poppinga said.
Rodgers is set to become the oldest player in the NFL this year, and if history has proven one thing, it’s that being a successful quarterback at the age of 41 is almost impossible. Brady is essentially the only starting quarterback who has had any substantial success after turning 41, so he was the exception to the rule. The Steelers will be hoping that Rodgers can also be an exception, but if he’s not, it could be a long year for Pittsburgh, just as Poppinga is predicting.
Go to Source
Author: John Breech
June 16, 2025 | 2:10 pm
