Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Pittsburgh Steelers have felt stagnant. Their past few seasons have been very similar. The Steelers manage to finish with a non-losing record, usually sneaking into the playoffs only to get crushed in the first round. That’s caused some frustration within the fan base. Now, the Steelers seem to be turning to Aaron Rodgers to help change things. Analyst Robert Mays thinks that move could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for this version of the Steelers.
“I kind of feel like this is the last gasp for whatever this version of it is, and trying to turn to 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers to tie it all together feels like that,” Mays said Monday on The Athletic Football Show podcast. “I’m not even saying that’s the wrong move. I just think it’s very clearly an indication of what sort of corner you’ve found yourself in. I think that’s where the Steelers have found themselves right now.”
Mays is correct that the Steelers have painted themselves into a corner under center. They tried to draft Roethlisberger’s successor in Kenny Pickett, but that didn’t work out. Even when he was on the team, the Steelers’ quarterback situation was a mess. Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph also saw time starting.
Last year was slightly better, but still messy. An injury to Russell Wilson thrust Justin Fields into the starting role. He played fine, but the team benched him once Wilson was healthy. Although Wilson started hot, his level of play eventually dropped off.
Now, Fields is with the New York Jets, and it doesn’t seem like the Steelers want Wilson back. The veteran quarterback market does not look appealing, either. The Steelers have been putting a Band-Aid on the quarterback position, and it feels like that’s starting to catch up to them.
Mays mentions that he doesn’t think signing Rodgers is the wrong move for the Steelers, and he’s probably right. They don’t really have any better options. The Steelers could always try to draft a signal caller, but that doesn’t seem like a strength of this class. The top quarterbacks won’t be on the board when the Steelers pick at 21.
They could try to trade up, but that seems unlikely this year, especially since don’t have a second-round pick. Barring an unforeseen development, it looks like Rodgers is their best path to success.
Maybe that’s a good thing, though. The Steelers clearly want to compete for a Super Bowl right now, even if they have issues. However, that’s just not very realistic with the position they’re in. Hitting the reset button probably wouldn’t be the worst thing for them.
Next year, if they make a move to go up and select one of the best quarterbacks in the draft, they might be better off in the long run. This revolving door at quarterback has not worked for them. It would be unfortunate for some of the older players on the roster but maybe change would be good for the team as a whole. This version of them hasn’t been good enough.
