The Pittsburgh Steelers have agreed to terms on a contract with QB Aaron Rodgers, wrapping up one of the biggest stories of the offseason and allowing the Steelers to move forward with their QB1 in the building. But it’s not a pairing that’s drawn widespread acclaim, with former NFL player and current ESPN analyst Chris Canty adamant that the Rodgers-Steelers pairing won’t work. On ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike on Friday morning, Canty ripped Pittsburgh’s decision to sign Rodgers.
“This whole perception about culture, the Pittsburgh Steelers being one of the most functional franchises in the NFL, that’s gotta go away…this is who they are,” he said. “They’re so desperate that they’re willing to get in bed with a washed-up Aaron Rodgers who hasn’t been good at football in three seasons. Actually, four seasons now. That’s where the Pittsburgh Steelers are at.”
Canty also said the Steelers have a better chance of getting a top-five draft pick in 2026 than they do of making the playoffs this season. He even went as far to say he could see Mike Tomlin getting fired if things don’t work out with Rodgers.
“I can’t,” Canty replied when asked if he could confidently say Tomlin would coach the Steelers beyond 2025. “The organization threw it out there a couple of years ago after the playoff loss in Buffalo that they were tired of being one-and-done in the postseason. And how did they follow that performance up? By being one-and-done in the postseason in 2024 and getting embarrassed by a division rival Baltimore Ravens on the road. Something about that has to change, and if Mike Tomlin can’t produce results, then all of a sudden I think the organization could look at it and say that the relationship has run its course.”
There’s almost zero chance the Steelers move on from Tomlin ahead of his contract expiring. It’s just not something the team is going to do, even if the 2025 season doesn’t work out as planned. But there could be a case for it if things wind up being a disaster. Tomlin was the one who decided to start Russell Wilson last season, a decision that looked good until the final five games of the season, and he was a big reason for Pittsburgh’s interest in Rodgers (and vice versa). If Rodgers struggles and the Steelers finish below .500, Canty won’t be alone in thinking that Tomlin could be fired, even if the odds of the organization actually making that move are extremely low.
But the whole idea of the Steelers struggling with Rodgers and being a worse team with him is something that is also tough to see. Pittsburgh’s quarterback history post-Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t been pretty, and yet the team has managed to make the playoffs in a season in which Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky and Mason Rudolph all earned starts and last season with a fading Russell Wilson.
Rodgers at least offers upside, a high football IQ, and he still has solid arm talent that can make the Steelers a competitive team. He was the best quarterback option remaining and really should provide much better quarterback play than the Steelers have gotten recently. Sure, he’s 41 years old and not at the same level he was when he won four league MVP awards, but there’s still a lot of talent to work with.
They also have insurance behind Rodgers, as the Steelers have seen what Mason Rudolph can do and he can be a quality backup option if something does happen to Rodgers and he has to miss time. It’s hard to argue that the quarterback room isn’t better and there are enough pieces for the Steelers to contend for a playoff spot. And if they’re contending for a playoff spot, Tomlin isn’t going anywhere.
The goal in Pittsburgh is always to win a Super Bowl, but just winning a playoff game would be nice with the team not having a postseason victory since 2016. The Steelers feel that Rodgers is their best chance to achieve that in 2025, and I don’t agree that they’re closer to one of the worst teams in the league than a playoff-caliber team as Canty asserted. It doesn’t seem as if this is some big make-or-break year for Tomlin either, and while there will be a lot of eyes on the Steelers and Rodgers’ performance, Mike Tomlin getting fired seems like the least likely outcome from this saga.
