Not only are the Pittsburgh Steelers struggling to compete for Super Bowls at the moment and have bowed out of the AFC playoffs as a one-and-done team over and over again, they are now seemingly finding themselves in a spot they never, ever wanted to be since the early days of the franchise’s inception: the butt of jokes across the NFL.
Fresh off of a five-game losing streak to end the season and then making minimal changes to the coaching staff, the Steelers now find themselves in a holding pattern at quarterback due to 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, who is seemingly taking his time deciding where he wants to play in 2025 — and if he wants to play in general.
FS1’s Craig Carton, who appeared on “Breakfast Ball” Tuesday morning, thinks the Steelers are a “joke” within the NFL now. He also added that the Rooneys, particularly Art Rooney Sr. and Dan Rooney, are probably rolling over in their graves seeing what the Steelers have become.
“The Rooneys are rolling over in their graves. ‘This isn’t why I bought an NFL franchise to never win a playoff game,'” Carton said regarding the Steelers and the outlook of the team now, according to video via FS1. “And much like the Giants, a storied franchise and an embarrassment right now, on the fact that they don’t have a starting quarterback, they’ve become a joke, too.
“And I love you, Pittsburgh.”
It sounds quite harsh, but there might be some truth there. The truth, of course, can hurt.
The Steelers might not be a true joke like the New York Giants, but they aren’t what they once were. That’s putting it mildly for everyone. Based on the last decade or so, the standard of excellence has disappeared, instead turning into having a winning record and being in the mix rather than competing for championships in true fashion.
Of course, the Steelers are in a difficult transition period post-Ben Roethlisberger, but they made it difficult for themselves because they had no real plan. They’ve tried many things at quarterback in recent years, and it hasn’t worked. Now, they are waiting for Rodgers to make a decision.
For a team that went 10-7 last season and traded for star receiver DK Metcalf, waiting on a 41-year-old quarterback who might be cooked at this point in his career isn’t exactly a plan. It reeks of desperation. And the longer the Rodgers saga drags out, the greater the desperation will get.
It’s a shame the Steelers are in this situation, but they’ve put themselves there in recent years under Art Rooney II. Hopefully, that changes soon, but based on what we’ve seen so far, it is unlikely to change anytime soon.
