The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a need at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. While they’ve taken a few different approaches to solving that problem, nothing has worked. It’s currently not clear who the Steelers’ starter will be in 2026, either. They’ve put all their eggs in the Aaron Rodgers basket again, and that’s left many people exasperated, including analyst Derrik Klassen.
“I’m so fed up with them,” Klassen said Thursday on The Athletic Football Show podcast. “I know that we saw Aaron Rodgers be there last year, he has some familiarity with the offense. I find myself in the same position I was last year, and it’s not gonna happen because there’s already rumors of this player signing elsewhere, I would legitimately rather sign Kirk Cousins than bring back Aaron Rodgers.
“And I know they’re not going to do that because Kirk seems like he’s going to play for the Raiders, be a backup, but Kirk Cousins was better than Aaron Rodgers to me last year…I’ve been baffled by their entire process… It’s very frustrating, but that’s the line for the Steelers over the last handful of years.”
Klassen’s opinion is shared by plenty of Steelers fans. The wait for Rodgers was a huge storyline last year, and it seemed like it would be a one-time thing. The four-time NFL MVP has been flirting with retirement for years, and it felt like 2025 would be his final NFL season.
However, reports near the end of the season indicated that Rodgers was willing to return to Pittsburgh for another year. While Mike Tomlin’s departure muddied those waters, Mike McCarthy’s hiring opened the door for Rodgers’ return. The Steelers head coach made it clear that he would like to work with Rodgers again, too.
Still, the veteran quarterback hasn’t made a decision yet. The first wave of free agency is over, and many of the top available quarterbacks are off the market. Cousins looks like the next-best option after Rodgers. While Klassen thinks that would be a better direction for the Steelers to go, it’s not so clear cut.
Cousins, like Rodgers, tore his Achilles during the 2023 season. That sapped him of a lot of his abilities, and he had a rough 2024 season. He bounced back slightly in 2025, but he still didn’t look like a quality starter.
Neither Rodgers nor Cousins are likely to make the Steelers a Super Bowl contender. However, there might be more upside with Rodgers. His career peak was much higher than Cousins’. While he’s not that player anymore, he showed flashes last year. Specifically, his arm still looked powerful.
Coupled with his experience with McCarthy, Rodgers is arguably the Steelers’ best option if they want to be playoff contenders this season. Is waiting for him ideal? No, but the Steelers seem committed to patience.
They won the AFC North with him last year, and they’ve made some upgrades at other positions, so their ceiling with Rodgers could be higher than it was last year. That doesn’t make the waiting game any less frustrating, but perhaps the destination will be worth the journey this time around.
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