Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Move is Very Conflicting With Other Decisions

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback question continues to be the biggest in the NFL, even after signing Aaron Rodgers to a one-year deal. The hope and expectation is that Rodgers will play for this one final season, getting the Steelers to the playoffs and hopefully competing when it matters most in the later parts of the season.

However, in the short term, the quarterback question will have to be answered immediately. There are some questions about the possibility of moving on from one of the four quarterbacks on the roster outside of Rodgers, with guys like Drew Allar, Mason Rudolph, and Will Howard. 

According to a Steelers beat reporter, it sounds like that decision isn't coming down to Rodgers or Allar, but between Rudolph and Howard.

“At one point in the offseason, it was fair to wonder if these two quarterbacks could be competing for the starting job if Rodgers chose not to return,” the Steelers beat reporter said, H/T Heavy. “But after the Steelers drafted Allar and signed Rodgers, there’s still an apparent battle between Rudolph and Howard — only now a roster spot could be on the line…

“The Steelers seemingly committed themselves to the current window by extending the 37-year-old Heyward, signing soon-to-be 30-year-old corner Jamel Dean, trading for 28-year-old Michael Pittman Jr. and — more than anything — waiting on the 42-year-old Rodgers,” The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo explained.

The simplest explanation for this is that if the Steelers want to compete for a Super Bowl as early as next season, they probably can't have two young quarterbacks on the roster. That would mean moving on from one of Allar or Howard, but that seemingly isn't what's going to happen. 

It's also fair to mention that the Steelers will probably want some sort of veteran backup, so even if they move on from Rudolph, having two youngsters on the roster as backups in Howard and Allar might not be the best plan right now.

“If the Steelers are playing for right now, would it be too much of a risk to enter the season with a pair of young backups who at this point haven’t even taken a snap in an NFL preseason game?”