The quarterback carousel typically dominates the national media discussion for the month of February. With the legal tampering period one month from today and the Super Bowl now in the rearview mirror, prepare yourselves for a barrage of Pittsburgh Steelers-related quarterback discussions. This was highly predictable when they entered the offseason with zero quarterbacks under contract in 2025. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields might be the most logical choices, but that won’t stop the speculation for other candidates. Aaron Rodgers is on the outs with the New York Jets, so he’s the latest to be linked to the Steelers.
Most of the conversation so far has been about it not being a great fit with the Steelers. Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark discussed the other side of that equation via ESPN’s NFL Live this afternoon.
“I wonder if Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers could coexist in Pittsburgh,” Spears said. “I think Mike Tomlin has the stature to have conversations with Aaron Rodgers and not to actually meet him in the middle, but to have a working relationship until you can get this thing figured out.”
Rodgers occupies a lot of space within an organization because of his status as a future Hall of Famer. He’s been the league MVP four times and won a Super Bowl. From an outsider’s perspective, he kind of did whatever he wanted to do with the Jets. There was nobody there that could level with him from a pedigree perspective. That’s where Tomlin could potentially come into play. He has never shied away from a challenge in terms of managing personalities.
“First off, Mike Tomlin can get along with anyone,” Clark chimed in. “Mike Tomlin can coexist with Scar from the Lion King, and so I don’t think that’s actually gonna be an issue.”
Remember that Tomlin stepped into an organization where Ben Roethlisberger had already won a Super Bowl and was one of the top-rising quarterbacks in the league. They developed a relationship despite significant personality differences early in Roethlisberger’s career.
“It’ll be will Arthur Smith and Aaron Rodgers find a way to compromise on what they want the offense to be,” Clark added.
Beyond the personality discussion, Spears thinks it could be a decent football fit. The Steelers have a decent defense and a run game that can take some of the load off a 41-year-old quarterback. The thing about that is that the Jets looked like a talented roster on paper last year, and it didn’t necessarily work out for Rodgers. They invested in that offensive line and had plenty of weapons, including Davante Adams, for whom they traded. They also had plenty of talent on the defensive side of the ball. None of it worked.
His lack of mobility isn’t exactly in line with what Tomlin and Smith are looking for, and it probably isn’t time to shift even older after Wilson in 2024. That won’t stop many from speculating on an Aaron Rodgers-Steelers union in 2025.
