Joe Starkey: If Big Ben is right about Aaron Rodgers, all bets are off

Joe Starkey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Aug 21, 2025

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — I was already starting to sample the Steelers Kool-Aid so prevalent in these parts this summer when Ben Roethlisberger showed up with a keg of the stuff.

Did you hear him on his "Footbahlin" podcast this week, talking about Aaron Rodgers and DK Metcalf?

"Let me tell you this: When they get going, I'm telling you, it's going to be something special, OK?" Roethlisberger said. "If Aaron can have the time to throw the ball, you're going to see some crazy stuff happen."

This, obviously, is an opinion to be respected. It's Big Ben. It was partially his positive review of Jaxson Dart that caused me to endorse the idea of the Steelers drafting Dart and rip them for not doing so. Dart went to the Giants four picks later and is having an excellent summer.

Put it this way: If the Steelers had drafted Dart and he was 26 for 35 for 291 yards and three total touchdowns through two preseason games, as he is for the Giants, you'd be chugging Kool-Aid funnels in the streets.

But it's not time for the next young Steelers quarterback. It's time for another old one. And I have to at least listen to Roethlisberger, who knows a thing or two about the position.

That doesn't mean he's always right. He was high on Kenny Pickett, too. A lot of us have been wrong on Steelers quarterbacks the past few years (nobody more so than Mike Tomlin). Still, Roethlisberger is absolutely worth a listen. He was already predicting the Steelers to go 11-6 when he showed up for last week's joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was blown away by Rodgers and Metcalf.

What if he's right?

"DK Metcalf is an absolute animal," Roethlisberger said. "He has not had a quarterback of Aaron's caliber. ... We haven't seen what DK Metcalf can do on a football field. We've seen him make some really cool plays, but he has not had a quarterback even close to the caliber of Aaron Rodgers."

Russell Wilson can't feel great about that clip, but whatever. It was Metcalf's work ethic that stood out to Roethlisberger as much as anything. At one point, he said, the offense called out for a receiver during drills and Metcalf ran in.

"You don't see that very often," Roethlisberger said. "He's all in, too, [saying], 'Man, I'm so excited to be here.'"

My initial thoughts on Rodgers were that he was too old, that his Jets stint was too disastrous, and that he'd be sort of like an aging Roethlisberger, unable to shirk defenders behind the line the way he used to and quick to get rid of the ball to avoid hits. (Not that I blamed Roethlisberger, considering he had Kendrick Green as his first line of protection.) That, plus the fact that the only quarterback to flourish in his age-42 season was Tom Brady.

I still feel that way, actually, but I'm wavering. I can't believe Roethlisberger would get a first-hand look at Rodgers and make a bad guess as to whether he can still play at a high level.

Also, Roethlisberger threw in a caveat: the offensive line.

"Now, I'm sorry Steeler Nation. I'm apologizing for this part now: Can Aaron have enough time to throw the ball?" Roethlisberger said. "And that's not a knock on the line. That's just a question I'm going to ask."

Let me translate: That's a knock on the line. Or at least an expression of concern. And who doesn't have concerns about Broderick Jones protecting a soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback's blind side? Troy Fautanu is even more untested at the other end of the line.

The running game also remains a major concern. Roethlisberger didn't ignore that in his review. And if Rodgers doesn't have a running game to protect him and set up play action, trouble lurks.

"How can [the running game] not be a concern when you got rid of your thousand-yard rusher?" Roethlisberger said, referring to Najee Harris. "And you don't have a legit stud, but maybe that's OK."

I hope he didn't mean that Najee was a "legit stud" because that simply wasn't the case. There were games in Roethlisberger's career where he was a more explosive runner than Najee.

All of which leaves us where? We're not going to see Rodgers in the preseason. That mystery box will be opened Sept. 7 against the Jets. All we have in the meantime is an overflowing supply of Kool-Aid.

I need a refill.

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