The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the offseason in a familiar place. There\u2019s no clear solution on who will be their quarterback in 2026, and the team could wind up running things back with last year\u2019s starter, Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old Rodgers hasn\u2019t yet decided whether he\u2019s 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\u2019m going to break down the positives of bringing Rodgers back but also some of the potential drawbacks.<\/p>\n
THE CASE FOR<\/p>\n
Rodgers led the Steelers to the postseason and delivered some high-level quarterback play in key moments that the Steelers haven\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d also be reuniting with Mike McCarthy and have a new offensive coordinator, and that could lead to an offense that suits Rodgers\u2019 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\u2019 limited mobility, but a coach who knows him well could lead to a change for the better.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s not a guarantee they\u2019ll be able to get their guy.<\/p>\n
At the end of the day, it\u2019s more fun watching a football team that can win and have a chance to make the postseason than a team that doesn\u2019t. 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\u2019t be the worst idea to see if Rodgers can keep the team competitive.<\/p>\n
THE CASE AGAINST<\/p>\n
This is a Steelers team that needs a reality check. Art Rooney II made it clear that he doesn\u2019t want to rebuild. That\u2019s fine, but they can\u2019t 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\u2019t put a touchdown on the board in a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t going to take the team to the next level.<\/p>\n
The Steelers can\u2019t 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\u2019t risen to the standard that they need. Rodgers did have some great moments last season, but he also didn\u2019t show anything that would give much hope that he can take the Steelers to a Super Bowl. It\u2019s time to revamp the roster and find the quarterback who can get the team back to the promised land.<\/p>\n
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\u2019t win a playoff game last season, and there\u2019s no reason to believe that he\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION<\/p>\n