In just six days, the Pittsburgh Steelers will kick off Organized Team Activities at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on the South Side, checking another key box in the offseason.
But during OTAs, the Steelers still might not have 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the roster and on the field. Here in late May, we’re no closer to a decision from Rodgers than we were when the Steelers first showed interest in him in the first week of free agency.
The Steelers seem comfortable waiting for Rodgers, but offseason team building and chemistry developing is key, and not having Rodgers there could really hinder the Steelers.
For ESPN’s Louis Riddick, who appeared on Get Up Wednesday morning, he believes that the longer this situation with Rodgers drags on, the more likely it is the Steelers will have a disappointing season in 2025.
“I would say minicamp has to be one of those concrete, hard-line deadlines, because of the fact that he’s going into an offense that he’s not familiar with a whole new team,” Riddick said regarding the Rodgers situation, according to video via ESPN. “Well, the Steelers aren’t interested, man. They really aren’t interested in just trying to be a .500-type of team and just be a team that continues to stay in purgatory. He’s the guy that we’ve been saying all offseason long that Pittsburgh needs to level up at the quarterback position. And I believe Aaron in a normal situation with Pittsburgh, meaning a full offseason to get familiar with Arthur Smith and familiar with his teammates, can actually provide that.
“The longer this goes, the more likely it is that it’s gonna be a disappointing season. And I know they’re seeing the same things. There’s no way they can’t be. Every single day that he’s not there hurts their chances of actually leveling up at that spot.”
Mandatory minicamp for the Steelers is scheduled for June 10-12. There, the Steelers need to have all hands on deck, and that includes Rodgers. Minicamp is an important time to ramp things up late in the offseason, giving the Steelers a chance to get a look at their offense as a whole, preferably with Rodgers at the helm under offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
But there’s been no indication that Rodgers will be signing anytime soon. The Steelers seem to believe he’s a plug-and-play quarterback, and at this point in his career he just might be. But there’ something to be said about how valuable the offseason is to build chemistry and camaraderie.
That’s why Riddick’s take resonates. The Steelers need to level up at quarterback this offseason, something he’s said before, and Rodgers could be that guy. But the longer he waits to sign and the more time he misses in the offseason familiarizing himself with his new teammates, the worse the situation could be on the field in 2025.
The Steelers might think that’s a bit overrated, especially with a 41-year-old quarterback. But a young offensive line in front of him, some new faces at running back, and a group of receivers and tight ends he’s never worked with outside of one throwing session with DK Metcalf this offseason in Los Angeles make for what projects as a difficult transition to a new situation.
Rodgers would be wise to get onboard and start putting in the work. The problem is, the Steelers don’t seem to be holding his feet to the fire in that regard.
So, the longer this drags out and the more time he misses, the worse the season could go for the Steelers. That’s not unfathomable, either.
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