The Pittsburgh Steelers waited multiple months for Aaron Rodgers’ decision last offseason, which they believe paid off. The Steelers didn’t snap their playoff losing streak, but considering his age and lack of receiving help, Rodgers did about as well as he could have been expected to.

Now the Steelers are in another waiting game with Rodgers, one many don’t think they should even entertain. To Gregg Rosenthal, the Steelers need to be right about Rodgers going into a year that would see him turn 43 years old.

“It is an absolute indictment on this entire organization if they’re wrong about Aaron Rodgers. And they thought they were right about him last year. To me, it was sort of incomplete. I’m not gonna say they were right, or that I was wrong on that one. It was like, ‘yeah, it was on the high end of outcomes,’ but you weren’t really competitive,” Rosenthal said Monday on his NFL Daily podcast.

The Steelers were probably right about Aaron Rodgers last year, despite failing to give him adequate help. They hoped Calvin Austin III or Roman Wilson could step up, and while each showed flashes, neither was consistent enough.

Mid-season acquisitions like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen didn’t make any huge impacts, and their weaknesses were on full display in late losses to Cleveland and Houston. But Rodgers made enough plays to get the Steelers into the playoffs, too. He came up big in wins against Detroit and Baltimore.

However, Rosenthal doesn’t think the Steelers needed Aaron Rodgers to make the playoffs.

“If Jacoby Brissett was their quarterback, or maybe even Andy Dalton, I think they could have made the playoffs too,” Rosenthal said. “He wasn’t good. If he was pressured, the play was over.”

Jacoby Brissett and Andy Dalton each had good moments last year, despite their respective ages. Brissett played some quality football for a bad Arizona roster, and he deserves credit for that. But he started 12 games and lost 11 of them. Dalton only had one start, a loss. Rodgers wasn’t perfect, but winning 10 games in a year where he turned 42 is impressive.

It makes sense to be pessimistic that Rodgers is Pittsburgh’s plan A at quarterback. His limitations were on full display late in the 2025 season. But he would have more talent around him going into 2026. Michael Pittman Jr. and at least one other receiver, likely coming in the draft, will make things much easier. A combination of Rico Dowdle and Jaylen Warren in the backfield will help as well.

When receivers were getting open, and Aaron Rodgers had time, he played well last year. Unfortunately, both are necessary for him to succeed in 2026. But if the Steelers continue adding talent to their offense, there might be enough help for that to happen.