Aaron Rodgers got off to a rough start at training camp when he threw an interception with his very FIRST pass, but don’t worry, he’s not panicking.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is feeling confident about the 2025 season and we know that, because he revealed his feelings during his first press conference of camp on Thursday. As it turns out, Rodgers is feeling so confident about the upcoming season that he views the Steelers as one of just 10 to 12 teams that could potentially win the Super Bowl this year.
“I think most of the 32 teams would probably say something to that accord at this time of the year,” Rodgers said of teams believing they can win the Super Bowl, via ESPN. “But I think that there’s really only six to eight that really have a legitimate chance. Sometimes, it’s 10 to 12 and there’s teams that surprise you, but I would say on paper, we’re probably one of those 10 to 12.”
As Rodgers said, he believes 10 to 12 teams are capable of winning the Super Bowl this year and he thinks the Steelers are one of them. Are the Steelers actually a Super Bowl contender? That’s a good question, so I took this as a personal challenge to make a list of 10 to 12 teams that I think can win the Super Bowl this year to see if the Steeler would make the cut.
Let’s check out my list of teams (The teams below are listed based on their Super Bowl odds via DraftKings):
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Well, look at that: The Steelers are on my list! Not only do I think the Steelers are a potential Super Bowl contender, but I think people are actually sleeping on them. This team went 10-7 last season with Justin Fields and Russell Wilson at quarterback, and I think Rodgers is an upgrade at QB over either of those guys. If the four-time MVP stays healthy in Pittsburgh, this is a team that could certainly surprise some people in 2025.
There are five teams who did not make my list even though they have better or equal Super Bowl odds to the Steelers, so I’ll explain why they got left off.
- Vikings (+2800). The last time a team won the Super Bowl in the same season where their QB was also making his first career start was in 2001 when Tom Brady led the Patriots to the Lombardi Trophy. J.J. McCarthy might end up being good, but he’s not Tom Brady.
- Buccaneers (+2800). I think the Buccaneers are good and I do think they’ll win the NFC South, but I’m not sure how much I trust Todd Bowles. If you look at all the NFC teams on my Super Bowl list, I think they all have better coaches than the Bucs, and in the playoffs, that can be the difference between winning and losing.
- Chargers (+2800). The last time we saw Justin Herbert on the field in the playoffs, he was throwing four interceptions in a loss to the Texans. Herbert is 0-2 in the playoffs and I’d have to see him actually win a playoff game before I’d feel comfortable picking his team to win the Super Bowl.
- Broncos (+2800). Sean Payton knows what it takes to get to the big game and I actually like the Broncos — I even think they’ll get back to the playoffs — but it feels like this team is a year or two away from being a serious Super Bowl contender. Another season for Bo Nix will be huge and if he continues to look good, the Broncos could be a Super Bowl contender for years to come.
- Texans (+3500). No AFC South team has made it to the Super Bowl since 2009 and I don’t think that 16-year drought is going to end in 2025. Last season, the Texans played five of the 11 teams on my Super Bowl list above and they went 1-5 in those games (They played the Chiefs twice). I’m just not sure they’re ready to compete with the big boys.
There could always be a surprise team, but overall, I actually agree with Rodgers: There are 10 to 12 teams who could win the Super Bowl this year and the Steelers are one of them.
