“A lot of decisions that I’ve made over my career and life from strictly the ego — even if they turn out well — are always unfulfilling. But the decisions made from the soul are usually pretty fulfilling. So this was a decision that was best for my soul.” said Aaron Rodgers about why he chose to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course, he was tasked with turning the team’s losing streak into a Super Bowl run, but more than pushing his new team forward, for him, joining the Steelers was a way to flip the script on all the dissatisfaction and uncertainty he had with the Jets.
It has been some time since Aaron Rodgers opened up about his meeting with the Jets’ new management. He flew to the Jets’ building for what he thought was a conversation about his future with the team, only to realize that the future he’d hoped for didn’t exist. But the cracks didn’t start there. Aaron Rodgers’ frayed relationship with the Jets actually goes back to the former interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich’s regime. The roots of this dissatisfaction were already growing long before the meeting, reflecting a deep disconnect between the superstar quarterback and the direction the team was headed in under its previous leadership. The lingering question remained: Why was this the case?
For that, enter Mark Schlereth, a former NFL guard turned broadcaster, who shed light on these struggles on the latest episode of his “The Stinkin’ Truth” Podcast. He explained how Aaron Rodgers had previously opened up to him about the Jets’ offense.
“Aaron and I had a conversation about when he was with the Jets was how abysmal their running game was and how schematically it made no sense. I started the conversation, and then Aaron went on for about a 25-minute diatribe on just their run game.” But it wasn’t just A-Rod who saw the gaps in the schemes. Over the last two seasons, the Jets’ run game has consistently battled with offensive line struggles, injuries, and poor communication among the blockers. Many believe the team’s play-calls and schemes were outdated and predictable.
Mark Schlereth further added, “But I was watching the Jets last year, it was the worst schematic run game I have ever watched in the NFL. I kept watching plays, yes. There’s a difference between having guys that can’t block people. I mean, I’ve seen that too. But having your players do things that make zero sense, like this makes no sense. Why in the world would you block this way? This scheme… there’s zero chance of that being successful. And you look at it, you’re like, why in the world would you guys do it that way?”
To put that into sharp relief: through the first five games of 2024, the Jets averaged 3.6 yards per carry, ranking third-worst in the NFL, with only 402 total rushing yards—the absolute lowest in the league. These struggles weren’t coincidences; ESPN’s full-season figures show the team finished with 1,561 rushing yards (just 91.8 yds/game, 31st overall) and maintained a 4.3 yards per carry average, which placed them 16th across the season—anemic for a unit with Breece Hall and a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Rodger.
Schlereth continued expanding on his critique, “Time and time again I kept seeing things that are like that is just dumb like why would you do that? There’s no way you can be successful doing that. And so I asked Aaron about it, just about the run game in general, and I said, ‘Man, this is like it’s really bad this.’ and he went on this diatribe just about, you know, the dysfunction of what what we’re (Jets) trying to accomplish and all these different things.”
They only ran the ball 36.35% of the time through eight weeks in 2024, putting them at 29th in the league in rush rate. While the numbers picked up later on in the season, finishing 16th in yards per carry (4.3), the writing was already on the wall. The Jets remained a bottom-tier rushing attack under Jeff Ulbrich’s defensive coordination, averaging just 91.8 yards per game and failing to establish a consistent ground game when it mattered most.
While neither Aaron Rodgers nor Mark Schlereth liked what they saw with Ulbrich’s regimen, both of them have high hopes for production with the Steelers. Rodgers has already declared that the Steelers’ decision was best for his soul. But do the Steelers feel the same way?
The Steelers’ plan for Aaron Rodgers
After courting Aaron Rodgers for months, there was a lot of criticism around Mike Tomlin changing his tactics and doubling down on the waiting game. An important offensive piece leaving for Dallas didn’t make things easier either. But all that changed with a single signature on the dotted line. As for the criticism around the 41-year-old QB, the teammates are loving his energy, and analysts are praising him, too. As Chris Simms had recently noted, “They are getting something better than I thought I was going to see… I think at the second half of the year when he finally accepted who he was and what he was capable of, I thought more times than not the games are pretty damn good.” Even the OC Arthur Smith is all for Aaron Rodgers; he’s even throwing away his old playbooks to build around the veteran QB.
Aaron Rodgers is big on the passing game. His 584 passing attempts last season stand as proof of that. But Arthur Smith, on the other hand, leans heavily on the run game. But for Rodgers, he’s making some changes. As Smith had recently said in the minicamp presser, “Obviously, we didn’t bring Aaron in here and sign DK for all that money to go run the wishbone. – You try to play to the strengths of your team.” Translation? Smith will work with A-Rod on his passing games, and DK Metcalf will bring his explosive speed to the forefront for maximum conversions.
And it won’t be something A-Rod has to learn from scratch. He has already noted similarities in Smith’s offense and believes he will be all geared up soon. “The offense, it’s a lot of similar terms from the Shanahan offense… There’s a couple new words and different things formationally, but I’ll have it figured out in a couple weeks, probably.” Arthur Smith’s dedication, Aaron Rodgers’ drive, and Mike Tomlin’s vote of confidence. Is this the recipe the Steelers need to make the playoff runs at last?
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