Exclusive: Jerome Bettis Sees Aaron Rodgers as Bridge to Steelers' Next Big Quarterback

Former Super Bowl champion Jerome Bettis believes the Pittsburgh Steelers' success in 2025 hinges on one thing — keeping new quarterback Aaron Rodgers upright.

Rodgers, now in the twilight of his career, joins a Steelers offence that allowed the ninth-most sacks in the league last season (49), with another aging quarterback, Russell Wilson, under centre. That trend, Bettis warns, cannot continue.

“The only question now is, can you protect Aaron Rodgers? Because if you can't protect him, then it's of no consequence that you brought him in anyway,” says Bettis in a one-on-one interview. 

“That should be the priority. Can you protect him? The one thing you have to do is put all your resources at your disposal to protect him.”

2005 Flashbacks: Veteran Team with Championship Potential

Bettis, a six-time Pro Bowl running back and Hall of Famer, sees parallels between this current Steelers squad and the one that won Super Bowl XL in 2005 — a team built around experience and balance.

“Now there's a byproduct of this move, and I think it's going to be reminiscent of when we won a championship back in 2005, we had a really veteran team — just had a young quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger). Let's say Rodgers, we go out and we get to the playoffs. We don't have success, but what we do is we're going to bolster the offensive line,” Bettis told SportsBoom.com. 

The 52-year-old sees promise in the offensive weapons around Rodgers, especially in the backfield.

“We got a young running back that we got in from Iowa (Kaleb Johnson), but I think it's going to be really tough, paired with (Jaylen) Warren, now you got two-to-three really good running backs. Got a really good tight end, you got some receivers that you really think highly of. You got a really solid defence.”

“This Is the Move Before the Big Move”

While the addition of Rodgers could boost Pittsburgh’s chances in 2025, Bettis sees a bigger plan unfolding — one aimed at finally landing the franchise quarterback of the future.

The 2026 draft class could be stacked with top-tier quarterback prospects like Arch Manning, Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik, and Drew Allar. Bettis expects Pittsburgh to be aggressive in moving up to get one.

“Now you bring in a young quarterback — I think next year — you go out and you do what you got to do to get one of the quarterbacks in the draft,” he says. 

“All of a sudden, now you've got a similar situation to Ben Roethliberger, young quarterback, veteran defence, veteran offense, you stick them in, and now you've got a chance to win a championship.

“This is the move before the big move, if you will, because I think they still have to go out and package a couple of picks to go up in the draft and get a top quarterback. Because they're not going to fall to you where they're going to be picking next year as well.”

Playoffs Aren’t the Problem — It’s Beating the AFC’s Best

The Steelers have made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, but they’ve entered as a Wild Card team in their last three appearances. 

Bettis doesn’t doubt Pittsburgh’s ability to compete within the AFC North, especially against the Bengals and Ravens.

“I don't see the teams in our division as teams that we can't beat. In our down years, we've been able to beat each one of these guys. I don't see that as being the big issue.”

His concern lies in how the Steelers measure up to the AFC's elite — something they struggled with at the end of last season, losing their final five games, including defeats to Super Bowl champions Philadelphia and AFC winners Kansas City.

“The question is, can you beat a Buffalo? Can you beat a Kansas City? Can you beat the team outside of your division? That becomes the question,” Bettis adds. “I think the biggest issue is how you fare against other teams in the AFC as a whole.”