Steelers Now
For the fourth time since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger just four years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a new starting quarterback, as the club agreed to a one-year contract with veteran starter Aaron Rodgers on Thursday.
Rodgers becomes the Steelers’ presumptive starting quarterback for this season, following Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Russell Wilson in that role. While the 41-year-old Rodgers is a four-time MVP, his best days are well behind him. He’s unlikely to be the quarterback that gets the Steelers back into Super Bowl contention.
Over the last two offseason, the Steelers have completely revamped their quarterback room, jettisoning Trubisky, Pickett and Mason Rudolph from 2023 for Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen last year. This year, Rudolph is back to backup Rodgers, along with sixth-round draft pick Will Howard.
So it’s another full refresh. With another retread veteran, who once again is past his prime, and once again, unlikely to be even a short-term answer in terms of Super Bowl contention.
Why should the Steelers expect different results from doing the same thing?
They probably should’t. There are specific differences between Rodgers and some of his predecessors that might come in handy, specifically Wilson, whose inability to use the middle of the field made him a poor fit for the tight end-obsessed Arthur Smith’s offensive scheme. Smith also didn’t necessarily make the most of the mobility that Wilson and Fields provided last year, so Rodgers’ largest downside might not be that big of a deal.
But on the wholes, Rodgers’ signing likely won’t significantly move the needle in terms of the Steelers’ 2025 fate. Their odds to with the AFC North remain a static 5/1, despite signing Rodgers on Thursday evening. Their Super Bowl-winning odds and odds to make the playoffs did shorten slightly. But the impact was not massive.
In short, expect another season stuck in the middle for the Steelers, not a bad team, but not good enough, especially in an AFC loaded with elite quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen.
Which leads many to question, if that’s the outlook — why bother? Rudolph likely could have seen the Steelers to a season approaching .500. And even if he couldn’t, would that be such a bad thing? The Steelers’ 21-year stretch of not having a losing season has prevented them from having the kind of draft capital that teams usually need to find a quarterback that can compete with the likes of the AFC’s best.
But you don’t have to be bad to get there. Mike Tomlin first tipped off the Steelers’ plan way back in January, when I asked him if he thought it might be necessary for the team to first take a step backward, in order to take a step forward.
“Lamar wasn’t taken and the top of the draft,” he said. “[Jalen] Hurts wasn’t taken in the first round.”
No, the Steelers won’t be tanking, not under Tomlin’s watch and likely not under the eyes...
