The Pittsburgh Steelers are one of the most accomplished franchises in NFL history. They’re tied for the most Super Bowl victories by a franchise. However, recently, they haven’t lived up to that standard. Over the past few years, the Steelers have been stuck in mediocrity, partly due to their uncertainty at quarterback. Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long isn’t sure signing Aaron Rodgers would fix that.
“It does feel kind of like a Band-Aid,” Long said Friday on his podcast, Green Light with Chris Long. “I just don’t feel like the Steelers have traditionally been a Band-Aid franchise. In this era, it feels like they’re a Band-Aid franchise where every year they’re trying to figure out something different to do.
“They’ve got the Steelers logo on the helmet, but it kind of feels like the Colts. It’s like, since Ben Roethlisberger fell off the face of the earth, they really haven’t found their footing.”
The Indianapolis Colts also used to be one of the best franchises in the league. With Peyton Manning, they were a perennial Super Bowl contender. However, since they lost him, they’ve struggled to get back to that place. Andrew Luck gave them some hope, but injuries derailed his career. They’ve been in quarterback purgatory for years, going through multiple veterans.
That’s what Long thinks the Steelers have become, and he isn’t really wrong. Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season, but even during his last few seasons, the Steelers weren’t a contender. They were just good enough to not have a losing season, but not good enough to be competitive in the playoffs.
That’s where the Steelers have been for the past few seasons, except now they seem more rudderless. They don’t have a long-term plan at quarterback. They tried to fix that by drafting Kenny Pickett in 2022, but it quickly became apparent that wasn’t going to work. Now, they’re stuck with whoever is available in free agency. Last year, that was Russell Wilson, and they traded for Justin Fields. The options aren’t that much better this year.
The Colts have gone through quarterbacks like Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan before they were in a position to take a swing on a potential franchise signal caller. Even then, it doesn’t seem like Anthony Richardson is going to rescue them.
That just goes to show how long this could go on for the Steelers. The Colts spent years trying to put a Band-Aid on their quarterback position, and nothing has really worked. The Steelers could be in a similar situation. They aren’t as bad as the Colts, but they have just as much uncertainty under center. In the NFL, that usually leaves a team struggling to compete for a championship.
