At long last, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally know who their starting quarterback is going to be. Aaron Rodgers is the newest member of the Steelers and given his long and impressive resume in the league, there’s reason to be excited. Analyst Dan Hanzus does not share that same feeling, to say the least. Speaking Tuesday on his Heed The Call podcast, Hanzus said it would be better for the franchise if things didn’t work out with Aaron Rodgers.
“They’re signing him because they think he can make them a team that goes deep in the playoffs. I think the best thing that could come out of this is the other operation,” Hanzus said. “Where it blows up the whole thing, and they finally have to hit reset. And if that’s the best-case scenario of a situation you probably shouldn’t have done the move. But that’s how many red flags are flapping around this whole signing to me.”
The opinion that the Steelers should simply blow everything up has become a popular one in recent years. Looking at the Steelers from a distance, it does make a measure of sense. They’re coming off back-to-back 10-7 seasons, each of them ending in Wild Card Round losses. With no long-term quarterback in place, and nearly a decade removed from a playoff victory, some fans would have liked to see things blown up already.
However, that’s easier said than done. And there’s a chance Aaron Rodgers could still play well in Pittsburgh.
The only time we’ve really seen Rodgers play poorly came in New York. That’s a different situation than Pittsburgh, though. There, Rodgers was seen as a savior and had essentially been handed the keys to the franchise for two years. That pressure-packed era started with a torn Achilles in Rodgers’ first game as a Jet and ended with him going 5-12 last season.
With that said, Rodgers is in a much more stable situation now. It’s a team led by Mike Tomlin, who’s about as stable as a coach can possibly be, and Rodgers is already speaking highly of him. If he can get on the same page with Arthur Smith, the offense could look much better this season.
At this point, everyone has their own opinion on Aaron Rodgers. Hanzus is far from the only person to see “red flags” with him. However, even if things do go awry in 2025, it’s hard to imagine the Steelers blowing things up.
For one, Mike Tomlin will still have two years left on his contract. He’s not going anywhere. And whether Rodgers does well or terribly this year, he likely won’t be returning anyway. No matter how this season goes, the Steelers seem to be aiming to find their quarterback of the future in the 2026 NFL Draft.
For now, they have too much talent, and too much quality on the coaching staff to simply tank. Hanzus may be right, and Rodgers may have too many red flags to succeed here. But the Steelers seem to be in a retooling period anyway, making 2025 is simply one more shot before they try and find their franchise quarterback next April.
