The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the offseason in a familiar place. There’s no clear solution on who will be their quarterback in 2026, and the team could wind up running things back with last year’s starter, Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old Rodgers hasn’t yet decided whether he’s going to come back, but if he does, it sounds like the Steelers will welcome him back with open arms. Is that a good thing? I’m going to break down the positives of bringing Rodgers back but also some of the potential drawbacks.

THE CASE FOR

Rodgers led the Steelers to the postseason and delivered some high-level quarterback play in key moments that the Steelers haven’t had in years. Despite the loss, Rodgers was clutch late in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and he was essential to the Steelers beating the Baltimore Ravens in Week 18 with his fourth-quarter performance. He showed he can still sling it a little bit and he would give the Steelers another chance to compete.

He’d also be reuniting with Mike McCarthy and have a new offensive coordinator, and that could lead to an offense that suits Rodgers’ strengths more, including more throws over the middle of the field. The offense would still have to be predicated around a quick passing game due to Rodgers’ limited mobility, but a coach who knows him well could lead to a change for the better.

Rodgers was also a strong mentor for Will Howard last season, and another season of him working with Howard could genuinely set Howard up to have a chance in the future, especially if he can get some in-stadium reps next season after missing the entire 2025 preseason. While the idea would still be for the Steelers to try and draft a quarterback in 2027, it’s not a guarantee they’ll be able to get their guy.

At the end of the day, it’s more fun watching a football team that can win and have a chance to make the postseason than a team that doesn’t. Rodgers is one of the best options out there to keep the Steelers as a winning football team. He has the respect of his teammates, and while some of his physical attributes have declined, he showed he has enough left in the tank. For one more year, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to see if Rodgers can keep the team competitive.

THE CASE AGAINST

This is a Steelers team that needs a reality check. Art Rooney II made it clear that he doesn’t want to rebuild. That’s fine, but they can’t keep running out quarterbacks past their prime only to get slaughtered in the Wild Card Round. Rodgers was brought in to try and win a playoff game, and instead the Steelers didn’t put a touchdown on the board in a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans.

Instead of taking a year to figure out if they have anything in Will Howard, or drafting a rookie to try and develop, or even taking a flier and signing someone like Malik Willis, the Steelers would be doing themselves a disservice to bring back a quarterback who isn’t going to take the team to the next level.

The Steelers can’t be trying to win but not fielding a Super Bowl-caliber roster. The last few seasons, there have been clear holes across the roster and quarterback play that haven’t risen to the standard that they need. Rodgers did have some great moments last season, but he also didn’t show anything that would give much hope that he can take the Steelers to a Super Bowl. It’s time to revamp the roster and find the quarterback who can get the team back to the promised land.

In an offseason where the Steelers have a new head coach and almost an entirely new coaching staff, they should continue to follow the trend of change and make a change at the quarterback position. Rodgers couldn’t win a playoff game last season, and there’s no reason to believe that he’ll have much more success in doing so this year. For those who believe the Steelers could find their quarterback of the future in the 2027 draft, it would also likely stand to hurt their chances of getting a top quarterback without needing to trade up.

CONCLUSION

I think the Steelers need to reset at quarterback and try to find their next quarterback of the future. But I’ve come to terms with the idea that Rodgers is probably going to wind up back in the Black and Gold in 2026, and I’m not all that upset by it. He was a great teammate by all accounts, largely played well enough and kept the Steelers competitive. As I wrote earlier, it’s more fun watching a winning team, and Rodgers can help them win. So while I think the organizational philosophy is wrong and the Steelers really need to adapt, one more season of Rodgers isn’t necessarily the worst decision, if it does wind up happening.