The Pittsburgh Steelers have operated in an uncharacteristic way this offseason, being rather aggressive via trade, adding three big-name pieces in DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith.
They also went big-name hunting in free agency, adding the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Darius Slay on one-year deals.
Now, they believe they can really compete in 2025, while still holding themselves in a good spot for the future, too, both financially and from a draft-capital standpoint.
But, for former NFL defensive end Chris Canty, who appeared on ESPN Radio’s UnSportsmanlike Wednesday morning, everything the Steelers have done recently is backwards, as they shouldn’t be making win-now moves when they don’t even have a quarterback, with Canty including Rodgers in there as a bad move.
“I don’t know how many times the Steelers have to take the same approach and get the same result before they do something different,” Canty said of the Steelers’ offseason, according to audio via ESPN Radio. “And what I mean by that is this treating quarterback as if it’s fungible, as if those players are interchangeable, as if it’s an afterthought when it comes to finding ways to contend, just seems like delusion in 2025.”
Since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers have gone through a different starting quarterback to open the season every year dating back to 2021. Roethlisberger, Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields and now — assuming health in training camp — Aaron Rodgers.
Though the Steelers have been competitive each year, they haven’t been able to get over the hump in the playoffs and win a game. Now, with Rodgers in the mix, the Steelers believe they have the quarterback to do just that in the postseason, which is why they have seemingly loaded up this offseason with the additions of Metcalf, Ramsey and Smith via trade, not to mention guys like Slay, Robert Woods, Brandin Echols and Juan Thornhill in free agency.
They are all experienced veterans that know how to play in big games. That maters, because according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, the Steelers were running out of patience trying to develop young players in this window.
That could be why the Steelers have been so aggressive and are trying to win right now under GM Omar Khan.
For Canty though, it’s hard to understand why the Steelers are trying to win now when they still don’t have QB figured out.
“So when we start having a conversation around what the Pittsburgh Steelers need to do moving forward, how they should handle the contract of T.J. Watt, how we evaluate the Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith trade, I think it all centers back to what we think this team is capable of accomplishing with Aaron Rogers as their quarterback, knowing that Rogers hasn’t played good football in the better part of the last half decade,” Canty said of the Steelers. “So I just don’t understand why the Pittsburgh Steelers are making win now moves, when clearly they don’t have a quarterback that’s capable of being able to do that.”
It seems like a stretch to say that Rodgers isn’t capable of winning games and playing good football.
While things were tough in New York last season for Rodgers as the Jets went 5-12 and saw significant turmoil within the organization, Rodgers had some strong moments, especially late in the season as he was further and future removed from his torn Achilles.
Evaluators and even former coaches still believe he can throw the ball at a high level, but Canty just doesn’t see it and has railed against Rodgers all offseason, using the “third-best QB in the division” line against him time and time again as if it’s some slight to be behind *check’s notes* Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.
It might not be the most understandable path forward for the Steelers for the 2025 season, as they are trying to win now with some holes on the roster and major questions at key positions, but at least they are going for it under Khan, doing everything in their power to try and get guys like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt a ring.
