Is the notion of Aaron Rodgers as the Steelers’ next starting quarterback a non-starter?
Oh, offseason, how I’ve missed you. A year after the Steelers signed Russell Wilson and traded for Justin Fields, they are now going to sign Aaron Rodgers. And they will also sign Sam Darnold, trade for Matthew Stafford, and who knows what else. Half of their roster is going to be quarterbacks, none of whom can win a Super Bowl.
With the New York Jets announcing their plans to release Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers are surely his early betting favorite. The immediate reaction is that it’s an absurd idea at this point and doesn’t make sense. But from a purely football perspective, is he better in 2025 than Russell Wilson? Does Aaron Rodgers give the Steelers a better chance of winning more games than Justin Fields next season?
It’s not as though Rodgers is suddenly bad at football, even if he had some bad moments with the Jets last season. But after missing practically a full season due to injury, some rust is not out of the ordinary. If the Steelers were to sign him, and he put in a full season, it’s not far-fetched that he could play well. The bar isn’t very high, but it should offer the best season of quarterback play in the post-Roethlisberger years.
But if the Steelers sign him, they aren’t getting just a quarterback but, as Brooke Pryor put it, the Aaron Rodgers Multiverse. Would they also have to sign Davante Adams assuming the Jets release him too, and trade for Allen Lazard?
Signing Aaron Rodgers would bring the Steelers a much different kind of attention than Russell Wilson. Wilson’s biggest personality fault was that he was too nice, and supposedly a big “fake”. Let’s just say that there is a whole different conversation about Rodgers. And more importantly, despite being in his 40s, he doesn’t exactly have a reputation as some kind of leader. That’s important to the Steelers; so is the idea of signing him a complete non-starter?
The Steelers’ 2024 season has come to its predictably inauspicious end, with yet another one-and-done postseason for HC Mike Tomlin. The offense faltered, and the defense matched it blow for blow, leading to a 21-0 first-half deficit.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. Do they still believe in Russell Wilson, and/or Justin Fields, or do they want another solution? There are other major decisions to make, as well, such as what to do with George Pickens. Do you sign him to an extension, try to trade him, or let him play out his rookie contract?
The Steelers started the 2024 season 10-3, with Mike Tomlin in the Coach of the Year conversation. Wash, rinse, and repeat, and we have another late-season collapse. This may be the worst yet, a four-game losing streak presaging a one-and-done playoff “run”. Welcome to Steelers football.
