The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback conversation continues to be built around short-term options, and few potential options make more sense than Aaron Rodgers after hiring Mike McCarthy.
While Rodgers’ future has been one of the biggest questions in the league in the early offseason, the idea of Pittsburgh bringing him back seems to be a strong one.
According to Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Rodgers still represents a decent but limited option if the Steelers want to prioritize what they’ve been over the past 10-plus years rather than championship ceiling.
“I don’t think he is cooked. He is good enough that they can win nine or 10 games again, but I agree with you that he is not good enough to take them to the Super Bowl. But Art Rooney II has made it clear that he doesn’t want to rebuild and doesn’t want to go through a losing season. So they will keep patching together these teams that are good but not quite good enough,” he wrote.
Rodgers, even in the later stages of his career, still offers high-level IQ and someone who will understand what McCarthy wants to do on that side of the football. For a roster looking to fix what it has done on offense in the past decade, he doesn’t change everything, but he’ll give the Steelers a better option than what’s realistically out there unless they land Malik Willis.
However, Zeise’s point isn’t about whether Rodgers can still play, as it’s about what his presence ultimately accomplishes. If the goal is nine or 10 wins and a postseason berth, Rodgers may still be capable of doing that in Pittsburgh. His experience, leadership, and ability to manage high-leverage moments would get the Steelers there.
If the goal is a championship, however, the idea of him being that isn’t fair anymore.
Age and declining play make Rodgers one of the more average players in the NFL, if we’re being honest. Art Rooney II’s reluctance to head into a rebuild makes this all a lot more confusing. There’s no perfect answer, which makes this tougher, but we’ll see what happens.