“No substitute for experience”: Peyton Manning makes feelings known on Aaron Rodgers-Arthur Smith chemistry in Pittsburgh

Aaron Rodgers decided to join the Pittsburgh Steelers for the upcoming season. The quarterback agreed to a one-year deal, hoping to help end Mike Tomlin's unlucky run in the playoffs.

On Monday, retired 2x Super Bowl champ Peyton Manning made an appearance on the 'Pat McAfee Show.' He talked about Rodgers playing in Steel City and his impact on the team. Manning also shared his thoughts on the 4x NFL MVP building chemistry with the Steelers' offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith.

"Yeah, look, I'm excited for Aaron," Manning said. "It's a good opportunity. I saw Arthur Smith earlier this spring, and you know, they were still trying to kind of figure out what they were trying to do. He certainly acknowledged that Aaron was a possibility, and was excited about that possibility. "So I think the offensive coorindator is exctied about, it's a good thing. You've heard Aaron talk about he and Arthur, you can tell they've already had quite a bit of dialogue on, you know, trying to get on the samme page and make that systmer work for both of them. But look, there's no substitute for experience..."

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"What Aaron can do to help these receivers, and you wouldn't think that would take a lot of time for them to kind of get on the same page, just because Aaron's played with so many guys and kind of knows how to make those adjustments."

This year might be Aaron Rodgers' last in the NFL. On Pat McAfee's show, the 4x NFL MVP opened up about his upcoming stint with the Steelers while stating that he might hang up his cleats after 21 years in the league.

Apart from Rodgers, the Steelers also acquired WR DK Metcalf to bolster the offense. Having a Super Bowl-winning veteran on the depth chart will also help in the development of rookie quarterback Will Howard. The Steelers acquired the ex-Ohio State star in the sixth round of this year's draft.

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NFL analyst expresses concerns over Aaron Rodgers' impact on the Steelers offense in 2025

On Monday, ex-NFL star turned analyst Andrew Hawkins spoke about Mike Tomlin's offense and the impact that the 4x NFL MVP will have on the field.

According to him, the Steelers lack depth in the WR room, and this could be detrimental to Aaron Rodgers' performance in 2025.

"I'm not super hopeful to be honest with you," Hawkins said on 'NFL Live'. "That's not a knock on the Steelers, that's not a knock on Aaron Rodgers. I just haven't see Rodgers at his best in years. "So now he goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they have DK Metcalf on one side. But who's the number two receiver? DK is about to go into a situation where he's not used to not having someone on the other side to take that attention away."

The Steelers traded away George Pickens to the Cowboys this offseason. This leaves them with Robert Woods, Roman Wilson and Scotty Miller on the depth chart.

Only time will tell if the Rodgers-Metcalf link-up is enough for the Steelers to become a legitimate Super Bowl contender this year.

Edited by Dipayan Moitra