Ben Roethlisberger doesn’t mind a down period for the Steelers, but believes Aaron Rodgers gives them an “outside chance”. Considering his Super Bowl run in 2005, I don’t think Big Ben is opposed to the notion of outside chances. And he is particularly intrigued by the potential of pairing him with his old head coach.

“I think it could be extra special with Aaron [Rodgers] and [Mike] McCarthy”, the former Steelers quarterback said on his Footbahlin podcast. “It has a chance to be something special”, he reiterated, but added he has an eye toward the future. “Spend draft capital building this team up so that it’s a Super Bowl contender in the next three to five years”.

Generally, Roethlisberger has been very in favor of the Steelers moving forward with Will Howard, last year’s sixth-round pick and a guest on his podcast. But he was also complimentary of Rodgers’ performance for the team last season. And he believes the old-timer still has something in him, making them a part of the conversation.

“With Aaron [Rodgers] in there, you never know what could happen” with the Steelers, he said. “Especially if you build this team, add some skill guys, bolster the defense and just keep that thing rolling. Man, you’ve got a chance. You’ve got an outside chance of winning it this year”.

The Steelers did reach the playoffs last season with Rodgers and won the AFC North for the first time since Roethlisberger’s penultimate season. He did, at times, help lead them to victory, but it was an inconsistent season. By season’s end, he went 327-for-498 for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns to 7 interceptions. While he had a strong touchdown-to-interception ratio, the offense lacked playmaking.

And that’s where Roethlisberger believes the Steelers, and Mike McCarthy, can and will help Aaron Rodgers this year, or whoever the quarterback will be. He believes they will draft a wide receiver in the first round, which they haven’t done since 2006, for starters. More importantly to him, though, they can still build for the future while constructing the present roster.

At 42 years old, Aaron Rodgers is obviously a short-term answer for the Steelers. But that’s more of a sure thing than is Will Howard, who has yet to play a preseason game. Roethlisberger believes now is the time to build the team around the quarterback of the future, whether he’s already here or not.

The Steelers lacked playmakers for Rodgers last year, or at least failed to use them efficiently. At wide receiver, they only had DK Metcalf as anything resembling a sure thing. They underutilized Pat Freiermuth at tight end, and Jonnu Smith simply did not work at all. With Mike McCarthy, they will adjust. And Roethlisberger is confident in McCarthy’s ability to get the most out of not just Rodgers, but the Steelers’ offense.