If the Pittsburgh Steelers land Aaron Rodgers, they know what they’re signing up for. Or more accurately, who they’re signing up for. A 20-year NFL veteran, four-time NFL MVP, and future first-ballot Hall of Famer, the Steelers are more likely to adapt to Rodgers for a season than the other way around. Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo believes that’s a realization offensive coordinator Arthur Smith must understand.
“He did not let Justin Fields or Russell Wilson do much at the line of scrimmage,” Fittipaldo said Sunday night during KDKA’s #1 Cochran Sports Showdown. “He’s gonna have to let Aaron Rodgers do that. Super Bowl-winning quarterback four-time NFL MVP. I think Arthur Smith is gonna have to cede a little bit control if that does happen.”
Fields’ six starts last season came with plenty of handcuffs. An offense that felt similarly built to the 2022 and 2023 versions, its main mission was to not turn the ball over so the Steelers could rely on their defense to keep the score down and win. The model proved effective, Pittsburgh started the year 4-2, but the offense scored more than 24 points just once over that span.
Wilson initially seemed to have more freedom and positive results followed. But Pittsburgh tightened up late in the season. No game displayed that better than the regular-season finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. After Wilson lit up the Bengals for four touchdowns and 41 points (seven of which came off a defensive score) in the teams’ first meeting, Pittsburgh deployed a run-heavy approach in the rematch. Instead of checking out against brick wall defensive fronts, as they did in the win, the Steelers ran straight into them. The offense sputtered to 17 points in a loss.
Elsewhere, Ben Roethlisberger once remarked Wilson didn’t have freedom to run two-minute drills. Reportedly, a professional but icy relationship between Arthur Smith and Wilson was the driving reason why the latter wasn’t pursued by Pittsburgh this offseason.
Rodgers will ask for freedom to run the show. There’s always a balance. A quarterback can’t go to the line of scrimmage without a check or audible. But he can’t also have complete control to truly do whatever he wants. That would mean the offense has no structure and plan. Not to mention that Rodgers would be in his first year in the system and would encounter a learning curve, even if it’s one as steep as others.
Striking the right balance will be tricky. It’s also critical. But until Rodgers decides to show up, Smith’s attention will be on handling the same problem with Mason Rudolph, still the team’s No. 1 quarterback.
