Aaron Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. However, at this point in his career, he’s not the same player. Father Time is undefeated for a reason. Despite that, there’s still a lot of speculation that the Pittsburgh Steelers could pursue Rodgers once the New York Jets release him. Former NFL linebacker LaVar Arrington believes that’s a bad idea, seeing Rodgers as just another problem in the Steelers’ locker room.
“I just think you’ve got guys like [George] Pickens who, he’s going to be someone you have to deal with,” Arrington said recently on his show on Fox Sports Radio, 2 Pros and a Cup of Joe. “If I’m Aaron Rodgers, is that fun? Do I want to have those types of conversations?
“What does that look like? I just think you come into that locker room the way Aaron Rodgers seemingly, because I could be totally wrong, but seemingly the way this guy handles things, I just feel like that would be an irritant and an agitation that’s unneeded. It’s just not needed in Pittsburgh.”
Arrington is referring to the drama that’s been following Rodgers over the last few years. He reportedly wasn’t very interested in mentoring younger players with the Jets. Rodgers also seemed to take veiled shots at people in the organization when things weren’t going well. It all felt very passive-aggressive, and the Steelers don’t need another headache on their roster.
Pickens gave them enough problems last year. Too often, he allowed his emotions to control him. That led to several distractions over the course of the season. How would Rodgers co-exist with Pickens? Furthermore, if Pickens feels like Rodgers is criticizing him to the media, how will he react?
There just seem to be too many potential problems associated with signing Rodgers for the Steelers to take that risk. Rodgers isn’t totally washed up, but he’s not worth all those issues. Signing him feels like a lateral move, too similar to the signing of Russell Wilson last year.
That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, though. If Wilson and Justin Fields sign elsewhere, the Steelers might be forced to seriously consider Rodgers. He and Mike Tomlin seem to share some amount of mutual respect. It wouldn’t be ideal, but nothing is impossible.
DeShon Elliott didn’t seem fond of the idea, though, and maybe other players share his opinion. Rodgers hasn’t even signed with the Steelers, and there’s already drama between him and a current player. It feels like that’s already proving Arrington’s point. There are other options at quarterback that the Steelers should go after first.
