Steelers Now
ESPN analytics analyst Seth Walder is not a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers signing of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have received a lot of mixed responses to their signing of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. ESPN analytics analyst Seth Walder is not among those who liked the move.
“I’m not very confident in the signing. He played poorly last season and played poorly in 2022 – so it wasn’t just about him recovering from his Achilles injury last year,” Walder said via Steelers Takeaways. “He’s a prayer for the Steelers – he could work out. The most likely outcome is disappointment – but there could be upside even at his age if things break right. You can talk yourself into different aspects – maybe it’s a better system for him, maybe he just needed more time to recover from his injury. With the price tag and the alternatives, I do think it was worth the try. It’s a pretty palatable move – they didn’t hurt themselves for years to come doing it. You can’t just run out the clock on Watt I guess – you have to try something.”
Rodgers does come at a risk at 41 and coming off a very disappointing 2024 campaign, in which he led the New York Jets to a 5-12 finish.
However, he still proved to have some good football left in him while throwing for 3,987 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, with a 63% completion rate and 90.5 passer rating last season.
The Steelers are hoping that continues to be the case in 2025, especially after passing on several younger options at quarterback this offseason.
Pittsburgh wasn’t willing to pay the big price tags of quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Justin Fields, and then it didn’t select a quarterback until the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft in Will Howard.
Walder believes that was a mistake.
“I do think they should have taken a quarterback sooner in the draft, though,” Walder added. “Finding a better quarterback is the issue. You don’t want to be results-based. Just because Pickett didn’t work out doesn’t mean you don’t try and draft another quarterback.”
It’s clear the Steelers have their sights set on the 2026 NFL Draft, which is expected to be rich with quarterback talent. Only time will tell if the Rodgers experiment will work out in the meantime.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Analyst Rips Steelers Signing of Quarterback Aaron Rodgers: ‘He’s a Prayer’
