Buy or Sell: Aaron Rodgers is still the Steelers’ best option at $10 million even without a strong commitment.
Explanation: Aaron Rodgers basically gave the Steelers his blessing if they wanted to move on—but he’s also pretty cheap. If they don’t have Rodgers, they likely start Mason Rudolph, with an outside chance of Shedeur Sanders. It’s unclear, though, how drafting Sanders would affect either the Steelers’ or Rodgers’ interest in consummating a deal.
Buy:
Aaron Rodgers, let’s put it this way, is the Steelers’ least-worst option. On Thursday, he basically named his price at $10 million, so let’s assume, for now, that’s what he would cost. If the Steelers were to sign him, it would very obviously be for him to start.
Even without full conviction in the Steelers, or even football, Rodgers is still the most talented quarterback available to them in 2025. Having knocked the injury rust off, he should be in better playing shape than last year, as well. And frankly, throwing to George Pickens and DK Metcalf would go a long way toward him finding investment here.
At best, Pittsburgh might post a 10-7 record and narrowly make the playoffs with Mason Rudolph or a rookie. And for the record, in this scenario, we’re not considering tanking. This is about whether Aaron Rodgers gives the Steelers the best chance to win this year. Between his talent and his price, it still seems like the right answer.
Sell:
The price factor is irrelevant because the team has already spent what it’s going to spend outside of a T.J. Watt extension. Aaron Rodgers is the last significant outside contract the Steelers intend to bring in. Whether that’s $10 million or $30 million doesn’t make much difference specifically for the 2025 season.
What does make a difference is whether they have a quarterback who’s invested in what they’re doing. With the way Aaron Rodgers talked on Thursday, I don’t see him being that player for the Steelers. I’m not concerned about the optics; I just don’t see how he can deliver winning play when he is thinking about everything but football. That diminishes not only performance but also team morale.
The Steelers are building toward the 2025 season, following yet another disappointing year. While they reached the playoffs, they once again lost authoritatively in the first round. They are facing questions, both publicly, and perhaps privately as well. Questions about The Standard, and what the Steelers stand for.
The rookie class of a year ago was successful, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2025. And they need everyone healthy to do it, not an insignificant consideration. They needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2025 NFL draft yet again.
These sorts of uncertainties are what we will address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, we will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
