NFL free agency is quickly approaching and the Pittsburgh Steelers still do not have a starting quarterback under contract for next season. Pittsburgh says the plan is to re-sign one of Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, but the closer we get to the legal tampering period without the Steelers re-signing either quarterback, the odds a new face is Pittsburgh’s signal caller grow.
In a recent article for Fox Sports, NFL reporter Ralph Vacchiano wrote that the Steelers first option should be to sign a new face in Aaron Rodgers and their back-up plan should be re-signing Fields.
“They were 10-3 last season before fading down the stretch, which was in part caused by their struggles on offense,” wrote Vacchiano. “A great argument can be made that a strong quarterback makes them a Super Bowl contender again. That makes Aaron Rodgers a real intriguing candidate. He’s a risk at age 41 and with his injury issues, but he might have one last career push in him in a better situation than he was in with the Jets. The Steelers could take a one-year bet on him knowing that the playoffs, and perhaps a deep run, could be the prize.”
Placing hope in Rodgers to lead one last Super Bowl run is foolish. Rodgers’ mobility has taken a major hit since his Achilles injury and at 41 years old it is unlikely he regains much mobility two years after the injury. Additionally, Rodgers wasn’t impressive last season. His numbers were fine, throwing for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, but they were only good enough to lead the New York Jets to five wins.
Sure, the Jets may be a dysfunctional mess, but Rodgers didn’t elevate the team despite having talent on offense. Last season, the Jets had much better talent at the skill positions than Pittsburgh with wide receivers Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams, and a good (albeit not great) running back in Breece Hall.
Blaming Rodgers for the Jets’ disappointing season would be unfair, but if you’re taking a chance on a veteran quarterback to elevate the team to twin a Super Bowl you want a quarterback who can do that. Last year Rodgers showed he couldn’t.
Vacchiano acknowledged that Pittsburgh should go younger at the quarterback position if Rodgers isn’t an option.
“They’d be better off seeing how much they could win with the 25-year-old Fields, who led them to a 4-2 record and showed some flashes of promise before he was benched,” wrote Vacchiano. “It’s a bit of a risk because, after four NFL seasons and 44 starts, maybe we’ve already seen Fields’ best. But they were winning with him, so they might be good enough to win with him again.”
The odds Fields lights it up and turns into next year’s Sam Darnold/Baker Mayfield/Geno Smith are unlikely. However, the crop of free agent quarterbacks is uninspiring and this year’s quarterback draft class is weak. The best move is to bring Fields back and fully give him the reigns to the offense. No more handcuffs on Fields, just let him go out and play.
It may end poorly, or it could work out great. But, re-signing Fields would be better than bringing back Wilson who played poorly in December and January, or signing Rodgers, who would likely resemble Wilson or final season Ben Roethlisberger.
Admittedly, there is no real “great” option for Pittsburgh this offseason at quarterback. But, if their Plan A is to sign Rodgers the Steelers would show they are trying to maintain the status quo and finish with a winning record. In Rodgers last two playing years he showed that he isn’t the guy to win a Super Bowl anymore. At 41, the clock isn’t gong to magically turn back. Fields probably won’t be the guy to lead Pittsburgh to another Super Bowl either, but at 25 years old, he has a better chance to grow and improve as a player than Rodgers.
