How will the Aaron Rodgers chapter in Pittsburgh be written? A drama, action-packed, or ending in tragedy? Former NFL defensive lineman Chris Long can’t quite get a feel for what the result will look like, but is concerned that when the dust settles, this story will read like the rest.
“If you were to tell me, ‘hey, I think this is an upgrade over Russell Wilson,’ I wouldn’t say I know that for sure,” Long [told Rich Eisen on Eisen’s show Monday.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8v48f_Qx2g) “But if it is, how big of an upgrade?”
Rodgers is the best passer Pittsburgh has rostered since Ben Roethlisberger and arguably Roethlisberger prior to his 2019 elbow injury. Even if Long isn’t fully convinced, most fans and pundits would slot Rodgers higher above Russell Wilson on a 2025 quarterback list. But it’s fair to entertain Long’s point of how much higher Rodgers would be and if that will materially change the Steelers’ outcome. In an AFC North featuring two of the league’s best quarterbacks, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow, and an AFC that’s filled to the hilt with top arms, Pittsburgh can get better play without seeing a difference in record.
That proved true in 2024. The combination of Wilson and Justin Fields was better than 2023’s offering of Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph. Despite the upgrade, the Steelers’ record didn’t budge. Leading Chris Long to wonder if adding Rodgers even matters.
“I worry that they’ll just end up in QB purgatory again,” he said.
Pittsburgh has had four straight seasons with nine or ten wins and could be on track for a fifth. Not good enough to contend for a Super Bowl. Too good to secure a high draft pick that could propel the franchise forward. The team has also started a [different Week One quarterback in five years,](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/05/rodgers-rudolph-or-the-field-steelers-will-set-franchise-first-at-quarterback/) Rodgers being the fifth, and are tracking for a sixth next season.
Adjusting to Rodgers and all his quirks could also present a challenge.
“If we end up in a situation where somebody’s not on the right side of the red line, famously, infamously, I could see some stuff like that happening and the growing pains being tough,” Long said.
He’s referring to Rodgers’ public criticism of WR Mike Williams during the 2024 season, when Williams ran an incorrect route not on the “red line,” the imaginary divider between the numbers and the sideline, which led to a game-ending interception. Rodgers is as honest and candid as any quarterback in the NFL, and his comments often draw headlines for the wrong reasons, with a media spotlight that absorbs everything he says.
Chris Long isn’t completely panning the move. Rodgers could play well and boost the Steelers’ offense. But it’s hard to put him in an optimistic camp that this story will conclude with a happy ending.