Steelers take a chance on Aaron Rodgers to end playoff drought

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Steelers (10-8)

The quarterbacks seem to change in Pittsburgh at an alarming rate, but the expectations do not. The Steelers opted not to retain Russell Wilson or Justin Fields after ending 2024 on a five-game skid, taking a flyer on Aaron Rodgers with the belief the four-time MVP gives them their best chance to be competitive in 2025 while serving as a bridge to whatever franchise quarterback they take in the first round of the 2026 draft, which just so happens to be in Pittsburgh. The formula remains what it has been for most of the past decade: rely heavily on what could be an elite defense to produce chaos and turnovers in equal measure and hope the offense does enough to win a bunch of one-possession games. It's a formula that has worked to a point, but the Steelers' current playoff victory drought is now at eight years and counting, the franchise's longest since Franco Harris hauled in the “Immaculate Reception” more than a half-century ago. Coach Mike Tomlin (now the longest-tenured coach in major North American sports as he heads into his 19th season) and Rodgers (at 41, the league's oldest active player) are kindred spirits. Their mutual respect is evident. Whether that's going to be enough to help the Steelers make inroads against Baltimore and Buffalo in the AFC is another matter entirely.

QB Aaron Rodgers, WR DK Metcalf, CB Jalen Ramsey, CB Darius Slay, RB Kenny Gainwell, TE Jonnu Smith, S Juan Thornhill, QB Mason Rudolph, DT Derrick Harmon, RB Kaleb Johnson, LB Jack Sawyer, QB Will Howard.

QB Russell Wilson, QB Justin Fields, RB Najee Harris, WR George Pickens, S Minkah Fitzpatrick, LT Dan Moore Jr., LB Elandon Roberts, CB Donte Jackson.

The secondary has the potential to be perhaps the best in the league even after the surprise trade that sent Fitzpatrick, a three-time All-Pro to Miami. The Steelers received Ramsey as part of the return, and Ramsey's versatility and physicality give defensive coordinator Teryl Austin plenty of options to tinker with a group that includes Joey Porter Jr. and Slay, who is looking to prove he still has gas left in the tank at 34. The edge rush group remains elite, with Nick Herbig proving to be a capable complement to stars T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.

The wide receiver group remains in essentially the same position it's been since the heights of the Antonio Brown era, which is now but a mere speck in the rearview mirror: with a true No. 1 but no real No. 2. Metcalf replaces Pickens as the clear top option, but after that there's nothing but question marks. Can Roman Wilson develop quickly after missing his entire rookie season because of injury? Can quick but undersized Calvin Austin III stay healthy? The offensive line hasn't exactly looked dominant during the preseason, and the Steelers desperately need 2023 first-round pick Broderick Jones to become an anchor at left tackle. If he can't effectively protect Rodgers' blindside, whatever game plan offensive coordinator Arthur Smith comes up with is likely doomed to fail.

Wilson, whose development was stunted because of an injury as a rookie, has shown flashes of becoming a legitimate threat in the passing game. If he can find his way onto the field consistently, that could take some of the pressure off Metcalf and tight ends Smith and Pat Freiermuth. Rodgers made it a point to say the club has high expectations for Wilson, and that a couple of positive steps in the right direction during the preseason doesn't mean that Wilson has necessarily arrived. The new-look offense looked sluggish for long stretches during camp, though the Steelers are optimistic that says more about their defense than it does Rodgers and company.

While Jaylen Warren will be the starting running back heading into the opener, expect Johnson, a third-round pick out of Iowa, to get plenty of opportunities to muscle his way to the top of the depth chart. Johnson considers himself a “high volume” back. If he can provide an explosive play or two early — something Harris rarely did during four productive but rarely spectacular seasons — then he could be RB1 by the end of September.

Win Super Bowl: 40-1.

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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jalen Ramsey watches during warm ups before an NFL preseason football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike Tomlin leave the field after an NFL preseason football game between the Carolina Panthers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers stands on the sidelines during the first half of an NFL football preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneer,s Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025 in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Matt Freed)

NEW YORK (AP) — Ryan Weathers was steamed when he found out he was joining the New York Yankees.

“I had had just finished up my bullpen and I get back to the house — I have like a little travel sauna,” he recalled Thursday. “I literally probably had sat on my couch for about two seconds and I got a phone call from Peter Bendix that I had been traded.”

Bendix, Miami's president of baseball operations, sent the 26-year-old left-hander to New York for four prospects on Tuesday: outfielders Brendan Jones and Dillon Lewis, and infielders Dylan Jasso and Juan Matheus.

Weathers is the son of David Weathers, a pitcher who helped the Yankees win the 1996 World Series after he was acquired from the Marlins at the trade deadline.

“We’ve kind of had a weird, similar paths as to how we got to New York,” Ryan Weathers said.

David was in the Dodger Stadium bullpen when he found out two minutes before the trade deadline he had been dealt to the Yankees. Manager Rene Lachemann called him on the bullpen phone and said Weathers needed to speak with general manager Dave Dombrowski.

“I went in the locker room and Kevin Brown, Al Leiter, John Burkett, Robb Nen, they said, `Hey man, good luck. You're going to win a World Series ring,' and they turned out to be prophetic,” David Weathers said.

David learned his son had been traded while watching a basketball game with wife Kelli at Loretto High School in Loretto, Tennessee, where he has coached baseball.

“One of my friends came up and said, `I think Ryan’s been traded to the Yankees.' And I said: `Well, if he has, I hadn’t heard anything about it,'" David recalled. "We laughed, and about that time my phone started ringing. It was Ryan.”

When Ryan makes his Yankees debut, they will become the fifth father-son duo for the pinstripes, joining Yogi and Dale Berra, Clay and Cody Bellinger, Mark Leiter and Mark Leiter Jr., and Ron Davis and Ike Davis.

Ryan was in shock when he spoke with Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and manager Aaron Boone.

“I just couldn’t believe that the New York Yankees were a team that I could ever have a chance to play for," he said.

New York’s rotation at the season's start projects to also include Max Fried, Cam Schlittler, Will Warren and Luis Gil while Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rodón rehab from injuries.

Weathers, 26, was 2-2 with a 3.99 ERA in eight starts last year in his second straight injury-shortened season. He missed time with a strained left flexor, made his season debut on May 14, then didn’t pitch for Miami between June 7 and Sept. 11 because of a left lat strain.

He was 5-6 with a 3.63 ERA over 16 starts in 2024, when he was sidelined by a strained left index finger.

“This is the best I’ve probably felt in a year-and-a-half,” Weathers said. “I really did a dive and worked with company on figuring out how to lengthen my lat out, lengthen my back out. We really adjusted a lot of my lifting patterns. We really adjusted my mobility and my prep work, and I think my arm is reaping the benefits right now.”

Ryan grew up in big league clubhouses and remembered the Cincinnati Reds' room with Ken Griffey Jr. and Joey Votto. He played pickle with Dusty Baker, Ramón Hernández, Eric Milton and Juan Castro.

“There’s been a lot of hours put in the Cincinnati Reds' batting cages,” Weathers said. “I just remember Pops taking me to the field every day. I know when his arm was hurting, he’d still throw me BP.”

Ryan was the seventh overall pick by San Diego in the 2008 amateur draft and made his first big league appearance against the Dodgers in the 2020 NL Division Series — among only six players to make a major league debut in the postseason. His dad's knowledge helped him during tough times.

“When I first started going through it and getting adversity and getting traded, he really helped me along those lines of figuring out: This is what you do with your new team. This was what you do in your day-to-day,” Ryan said. “So I’ve been doing mechanics since I was age 10.”

He has remained close with pitcher Aaron Harang, a teammate of his father who last played in 2015.

“He still texts me all the time,” Weathers said. “When I was younger, I didn’t really care about pitching. I just wanted to hit bombs in the outfield, so I didn’t really think about it.”

For David, pitching in the World Series was less nerve-racking than being in the seats at Ryan's games.

“It’s way tougher being a dad and watching your son pitch than being a pitcher,” David said. “When he pitches, man, it is just like all day, it’s like I’m pitching. I’m thinking about what I would do, how I would attack these guys.”

Notes: New York finalized its $2 million, one-year contract with right-hander Paul Blackburn.

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FILE - Miami Marlins starting pitcher Ryan Weathers throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Sept. 24, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson, File)