With Aaron Rodgers set to be released with a post-June 1 designation by the New York Jets, everybody is weighing in on the future of the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. There are a wide range of opinions, but the opinions of some of his close friends and former teammates should perhaps carry more weight. James Jones, who won a Super Bowl with Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, thinks the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team that makes sense for him.
“Tennessee Titans? Out. Raiders? Out. Why come back if you’re not going to have a chance to go compete for a championship? ” Jones said via FS1’s The Facility this morning. “The only place to go in my humble opinion is the Pittsburgh Steelers. I’m just saying that’s the only place that will make sense [for] I’m Aaron Rodgers to go compete for a championship.”
There is a real conversation to be had about how ready the Steelers are to compete for a championship. It seems like they have two or three too many holes to fill to have the type of turnaround needed to compete with the likes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills in the AFC, let alone the Philadelphia Eagles.
But if you look at it from Rodgers’ perspective, which team would make sense? Most teams that are truly ready to compete for a Super Bowl already have their quarterback. The list of teams that need a quarterback but also might have a roster that’s strong enough to compete is not a long one.
After a quick scan through the league, the Steelers would be joined by the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts in that category. The Browns are in position to draft their future quarterback and are likely to lose Myles Garrett, while the Colts have Anthony Richardson in place and might not want to take yet another swing at a veteran aging out of the NFL.
If you are Rodgers, are you just looking to play more years in the NFL, or are you looking to possibly have a chance to compete? I agree with Jones that the Steelers are really his only option. But it obviously needs to be a two-way desire.
I have strong doubts that the Steelers would entertain this option. They need to get younger, not older, at the quarterback position. It also doesn’t fit what they prefer lately with quarterback mobility.
If anyone can handle Rodgers’ mercurial personality, it’s Mike Tomlin. But would the Rooney family sign off on such a move? I have a hard time believing that would happen.
