Aaron Rodgers finally put pen to paper and agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week as he looks for one final run to a Super Bowl title before he inevitably calls it quits.

The schedule for the Steelers and the presumptive Week 1 starting quarterback isn’t easy. Rodgers will return to East Rutherford, New Jersey, to play the New York Jets in Week 1 followed by the home-opener against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 and a road matchup against Drake Maye and the new-look New England Patriots.

The Steelers’ opponents for the 2025 season have a 2024 winning percentage of 52.6% and because of that, former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum made a “bold prediction” about Rodgers.

“I’ll make a bold prediction,” he said Wednesday on ESPN’s “Get Up.” “I think Aaron Rodgers is gonna be irrelevant by Thanksgiving. Irrelevant. A non-playoff team, a 42-year-old quarterback, who’s a legend, that’s going off into the sunset.”

His take was met with surprise.

“Tell me why they’re gonna be relevant?” Tannenbaum told the hosts. “They’re the third-best team in the division. They’re gonna have to find out about Will Howard, who they drafted from Ohio State, who I think is very intriguing.”

Analyst Mike Tannenbaum during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, March 3, 2022. (Kirby Lee-USA Today Sports)

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The Steelers’ quarterback situation post-Ben Roethlisberger has been akin to what the Indianapolis Colts experienced after Andrew Luck retired in 2019. 

Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. Since then, the Steelers have used Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson. Through it all, head coach Mike Tomlin has persevered.

The Steelers, even though they haven’t made it out of the wild-card round, have only missed the postseason once since 2020. While the offense has sputtered, the defense has been proven to show up when necessary.

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers participates during practice at minicamp in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, June 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

While Tannenbaum could be right about Rodgers in particular, it doesn’t necessarily mean to count out Pittsburgh in 2025.

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SAN DIEGO — Dave Roberts wasn’t pretending to be calm. He was calm.

None of this was new to him, the depleted starting rotation, the fatigued bullpen, the division rivals within striking distance.

Under similar circumstances in past seasons, Roberts pointed out, “We’ve gotten to the other side.”

The Dodgers won a World Series like this last year. They have won the National League West in 12 of the last 13 seasons.

They usually reach “the other side.”

So rather than panic, Roberts waits. He waits for the end of a particularly difficult 26-game stretch, and when Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell can pitch again.

Roberts won’t say this publicly, but the Dodgers just have to tread water until they are whole.

They claimed a 5-2 victory over the San Diego Padres on Wednesday to win for the second time in their three-game series at Petco Park, preserving their lead in the NL West.

The Dodgers host the second-place San Francisco Giants in a three-game series that starts Friday and the third-place Padres in a four-game series that opens Monday, after which their schedule will become noticeably softer.

Their remaining opponents before the All-Star break: the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers. The post-All-Star Game schedule is extremely manageable as well.

Provided a couple of their starting pitchers return as anticipated, the Dodgers should be able to not just win their division but also secure a top-two seed in the NL, which would give them a first-round bye in the playoffs. As it is, the Dodgers are 41-27, only ½ game behind the Chicago Cubs, the league’s current No. 2 team.

Dodgers players have taken on Roberts’ understated confidence and make-do-with-what-you-have approach, which explains how the team has survived a 19-game stretch in which every opponent had a winning record. The Dodgers were 10-9 in those games.

“Character,” Roberts said.

Roberts specifically pointed to Teoscar Hernández, who broke out of a slump Wednesday to hit a key three-run home run; to Freddie Freeman, who he revealed is now dealing with a quadriceps injury in addition to his ankle problems; to Mookie Betts, who has continued to play high-level shortstop while playing with a broken toe.

“Guys are not running from the middle part of the season, the stretch we’re going through,” Roberts said. “We’re just finding ways to win.”

The series win against the Padres was also a credit to Roberts’ ability, and willingness, to play the long game.

With Tony Gonsolin put on the injured list last week, the Dodgers were forced to schedule two bullpen games in San Diego. By punting on the first and refraining from using any of his go-to relievers in a loss, Roberts ensured his team would be positioned to win the series finale.

Again, this was nothing new, as Roberts basically forfeited games in both the NL Championship Series and World Series last year with the remainder of the series in mind.

Roberts elected to send opener Ben Casparius back to the mound to pitch a fourth inning on Wednesday rather than replace him with Jack Dreyer, whom Roberts has grown to trust. The extra inning made a difference. Lou Trivino pitched to the bottom of the Padres’ lineup in the fifth inning, allowing Roberts to deploy Dreyer against the heart of the order in the sixth.

When Michael Kopech walked the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Roberts responded with the necessary degree of urgency rather than allow the recently activated Kopech to try to pitch his way out of trouble. Roberts summoned Anthony Banda, who retired Luis Arráez and Manny Machado to maintain the Dodgers’ 4-2 advantage.

“The bullpen has certainly been used and pushed,” Roberts said. “I just think it speaks to the character.”

And it says something about the manager as well.

Roberts is now in his 10th season as the manager of the Dodgers. He has managed 1,426 games for them in the regular season and another 100 in the postseason. At this point, there’s not much he hasn’t seen, including what the team is dealing with now.

Scottie Scheffler might be the overwhelming favorite heading into the U.S. Open this weekend, according to Vegas – but it’s not something the newly crowned PGA Championship winner particularly enjoys. 

Speaking to reporters at Oakmont on Tuesday, Scheffler was asked about the betting odds and if he ever hears from fans with a “financial investment” in his performance. Unsurprisingly, he said most golfers hear from fans regardless. 

But what Scheffler did reveal that was shocking was that he was forced to delete a popular payment cash app after fans stumbled across it. 

“I think everybody hears from fans whether they have a financial benefit or anything in their outcome. That’s why I had to get rid of my Venmo because I was either getting paid by people or people requesting me a bunch of money when I didn’t win.” 

“It wasn’t a good feeling,” he added with a smile. 

Scheffler is chasing back-to-back major wins after winning the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow last month. And the odds are stacked in his favor with good reason. 

Scottie Scheffler prepares to putt during a practice round ahead of the U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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He has won three of his past four tournaments by a combined 17 shots and has won 25% of his tournaments since his first PGA Tour win in 2022. 

But for Scheffler, stats and odds don’t mean much on the course. 

“I don’t pay attention to the favorite stuff or anything like that. Starting Thursday morning, we’re at even par, and it’s up to me to go out there and play against the golf course and see what I can do.” 

Scottie Scheffler signs autographs ahead of the U.S. Open on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Scheffler will tee off Thursday afternoon alongside Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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