The new NFL year is upon us. Unfortunately, the Pittsburgh Steelers still don’t have a starting quarterback. With Justin Fields reportedly heading to the New York Jets, the Steelers are forced to consider their other options. It sounds like they’re targeting Aaron Rodgers now. However, Omar Khan and Art Rooney II made it seem like the Steelers wanted to retain Fields or Russell Wilson. Wilson is still an option, but it doesn’t seem like they’re aggressively pursuing him.
“I’m surprised that [the Steelers and New York Giants] are prioritizing Rodgers over Russell Wilson,” former NFL DE Chris Canty said Wednesday on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike. “Because one quarterback with a lesser roster got a team to the postseason, and the other quarterback went 5-12.”
The Giants are reportedly the other team that is vying for Rodgers’ services. It seems like whichever squad doesn’t land him could turn to Wilson as a sort of consolation prize. Canty is correct that Wilson helped lead the Steelers to the playoffs last year. In his first start for Pittsburgh, he even beat Rodgers and the Jets.
Canty said Wilson should be more appealing than Rodgers because of what he did with the Steelers last year.
“Taking the quarterback position aside, there’s no question in my mind that the Jets had a better roster. I understand Cameron Heyward and T.J. Watt, those guys are Hall of Fame-caliber players,” Canty said. “I get all of that, but the Jets had All-Pro players at all three levels of their defense.
“The Jets had Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson. The Jets had Breece Hall in their backfield. The Jets had a better offensive line. So, I’m just trying to figure out how does Aaron Rodgers elevate the Steelers from where they were.”
It’s true that the Jets had a lot of talent last year, especially after they traded for Adams. The Jets were viewed as potential Super Bowl contenders going into the season, while many people didn’t think the Steelers would even make the playoffs. Based on those perceptions, it’s probably fair to say the Jets underachieved and the Steelers overachieved.
However, names do not make a successful team. Last year, the Jets didn’t have any All-Pro players. Defensive lineman Quinnen Williams was the only player they sent to the Pro Bowl. Meanwhile, the Steelers had three All-Pro players.
In 2024, the Jets were a dysfunctional disaster. They fired their head coach when they were 2-3, while Mike Tomlin provided the Steelers with stability and leadership.
“Granted, the coaching situation is different,” Canty acknowledged. “You’ve got Mike Tomlin versus Rob Saleh and Jeff Ulbrich. I understand that. That makes a huge, huge difference. But I don’t know if that’s enough to put the Steelers back in the playoffs rolling with this guy in Aaron Rodgers.”
Tomlin is likely why the Steelers are targeting Rodgers over Wilson. He and the Steelers saw what happened with Wilson as their starter last year. That led them to more of the same: losing in the first round of the playoffs. While Rodgers is a controversial figure, Tomlin could rein him in. He’s handled big personalities before. Rodgers’ arm still looked powerful last year. Perhaps he could elevate the Steelers.
