Aaron Rodgers is about to embark on his 22nd NFL season. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has made it . And his last chance to capture a second Super Bowl—something that has remained elusive despite his immense talent.
Few people believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers have a realistic change to lift the Lombardi trophy this season. In traditional Mike Tomlin fashion, they used smoke and mirrors to sneak into the playoffs last year and then immediately bowed out. Rodgers’ final ride will come with an old friend in first-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy and he’s making it clear that he has the highest of hopes for this team.
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Asked by Adam Schein this week if the Steelers are realistic Super Bowl contenders, the quarterback didn’t hesitate.“Yeah of course,” Rodgers said. “Of course. That’s why I came back, because I believe in the guys.”
Pittsburgh is currently somewhere around 65-1 or 70-1 to win the Super Bowl as Rodgers rides into the sunset. It would be a surprise if they were to somehow find a way to repeat as AFC North champions. Much of that has to do with how Rodgers has looked physically since he left Green Bay to explore other opportunities a few years ago.
“I like the roster as a whole,” Rodgers said. “We have good veteran leadership. It’s just about going out there and doing it. I feel like the AFC is very deep. Even our own division has a number of teams with Super Bowl aspirations, which is great.”
Poke fun all you want but this is what every leader of a team should say when put on the spot. Who wants to play alongside someone who admits that there’s just no chance of achieving the biggest goal everyone is dreaming of realizing? Putting doubt into a microphone is in no one’s best interested and if someone asks if you can do something, you say yes without considering the consequences.
Rodgers is technically right. The Steelers are technically capable of winning the Super Bowl. No lies detected. It’s just not likely. Will be a heck of a story if Rodgers pulls it off, though.
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