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OBR Newswire Bloviation Header
Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a plan at quarterback. That plan involves waiting for a 41-year-old quarterback with Hall of Fame credentials, a recovering Achilles tear, and a "unique" personality to decide whether or not he wants to play for them. Or the New York Giants. Or, preferably, the Minnesota Vikings, which, unlike the Steelers, is a team that has possessed a workable offense in the recent past.
The Steelers' backup plan appears to be Mason Rudolph, the team's prior quarterback failure. Like Kenny Pickett for the Browns, Rudolph is the last man standing from a health perspective as the Steelers, Giants and Browns battle to find which can pick that last barely edible fruit from the veteran quarterback tree.
The Steelers are at an almost Brownsian level of quarterback desperation, which can't be a bad sign for Steeler haters and Browns fans, the latter being a subset of the former.
Rodgers seems to be enjoying keeping the Steelers, Vikings, and Giants hostage while he makes up his mind, a delicious scenario for Browns fans, a team that seems to want Rodgers as much as they would desire a week-old dead Carp in their mailbox.
Rodgers's attention-grabbing and seemingly me-first approach to football doesn't seem a fit in Minnesota. Head coach Kevin O'Connell doesn't seem wildly enthusiastic (paywalled), and even Vikings play-by-play voice intoned, "If you sign Aaron Rodgers, he has become the polarizing identity of your covenant."
While you're trying to figure out what that means (it doesn't sound good), more bad news for the Steelers comes from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who writes, "Teams are waiting this out, waiting on Rodgers. The feeling is there's not just a money consideration here. There's fit, there's surroundings, all those things."
In the case of the Steelers, the "surroundings" in question are Pittsburgh and a few hundred thousand Yinzers who would wave stained yellow hankies at him, so that seems to put them at a disadvantage.
Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers at a recent golf tournament. (Photo: Getty)
So, the Steelers are left waiting for Rodgers to decide whether he likes french fries on his salad, wait for Kevin O'Connell to choose between him and J.J. McCarthy, retire, or join the Giants. This could take a while.
The whole debacle echoes the type of scenario that the Cleveland Browns would find themselves in, which is hardly a good thing for a franchise that has prided itself on a quality football product and consistent winning. The Cleveland Browns, who they currently resemble, have not historically had those attributes for nearly 40 years.
So, I'm thoroughly enjoying this scenario. Worst case, the Steelers are left scrambling for a quarterback in 2025. The "best case" will be led by an aging narcissist studying various obscure theories for his next Pat McAfee appearance.
I couldn't be happier for them.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
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