The Pittsburgh Steelers waited multiple months for Aaron Rodgers\u2019 decision last offseason, which they believe paid off. The Steelers didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
Now the Steelers are in another waiting game with Rodgers, one many don\u2019t think they should even entertain<\/a>. To Gregg Rosenthal, the Steelers need to be right about Rodgers going into a year that would see him turn 43 years old.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is an absolute indictment on this entire organization if they\u2019re wrong about Aaron Rodgers. And they thought they were right about him last year. To me, it was sort of incomplete. I\u2019m not gonna say they were right, or that I was wrong on that one. It was like, \u2018yeah, it was on the high end of outcomes,\u2019 but you weren\u2019t really competitive,\u201d Rosenthal said Monday on his NFL Daily podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Mid-season acquisitions like Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Adam Thielen didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n However, Rosenthal doesn\u2019t think the Steelers needed Aaron Rodgers to make the playoffs.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Jacoby Brissett was their quarterback, or maybe even Andy Dalton, I think they could have made the playoffs too,\u201d Rosenthal said. \u201cHe wasn\u2019t good. If he was pressured, the play was over.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019t perfect, but winning 10 games in a year where he turned 42 is impressive.<\/p>\n