Behind the Steel Curtain
How did we get here? Aaron Rodgers may not be the quarterback some members of the fanbase want, but he’s the one the team deserves.
For months now, Aaron Rodgers' eventual team-up with the Pittsburgh Steelers has felt imminent. There were whispers even before the free-agent period, but after the organization fumbled its attempt to bring Justin Fields back on a bridge contract, it became clear what path the Steelers had started down. With Fields off to greener pastures, there were simply no viable alternatives on the open market, and trading valuable resources for an injured and expensive quarterback like Kirk Cousins or Derek Carr never made any sense.
Rodgers, whatever your feelings about him, was simply the best available option for the team in 2025. Whether the mercurial quarterback held the same feelings about the Steelers was the real question.
The future Hall of Fame quarterback visited the Steelers’ facilities on March 21, where he met with both Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan. At the time, it was reported that the meeting had gone well, yet no contract was signed. Then, to the surprise of absolutely no one, Rodgers continued to play coy about the situation through the media.
In the days and weeks that followed, Rodgers mused openly about potential retirement, while not so subtly hinting that he’d be open to teaming up with Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings. The Vikings, much like the rest of the NFL, rebuffed Rodgers’ advances. Theories about if and when Rodgers would make it official with Pittsburgh came and went like a doomsday pastor’s prophecies. Former team legends and members of the fanbase alike bemoaned how desperate the whole affair made the Steelers look.
And yet, here we are.
The Steelers and Rodgers should finally put pen to paper Friday — you never know with Rodgers! — just in time for mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. It’s an unsurprising outcome for anyone who has followed Rodgers and, frankly, the NFL for long. Most veterans take it easy during the voluntary portions of the offseason, and the 41-year-old Rodgers hasn’t exactly hidden his feelings about participating in OTAs during the latter stages of his career.
If the whole affair has left a bad taste in your mouth, get in line. Rodgers isn’t the easiest guy to root for, and this year’s relationship is purely mercenary.
At the same time, if you’re relieved we aren’t about to get an entire season of Mason Rudolph starting under center, I can’t fault that point of view either. I might not be drinking Kool-Aid on Rodgers making the Steelers contenders, but I can get a hell of a lot closer with him than with Rudolph.
Whatever your take on Rodgers is, I’m not here to argue you off it. He’s a polarizing figure, and in the coming days, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to discuss him further. But one thing I think we can all agree on is that the Steelers have left us with plenty of frustrations...
