We are now officially two full weeks from the start of the new NFL year, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are still awaiting a decision from 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
With Russell Wilson now off to play for the New York Giants, the Steelers and Rodgers are seemingly the last ones left in need of a dance partner at last call in the quarterback market.
Knowing that, Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt believes the Steelers are quite vulnerable — through their own doing — in the Rodgers saga. He explained why Wednesday on Good Morning Football.
“Yeah. I mean, they’re vulnerable. Like they, to their own doing, they got nothing. We’re all saying the same thing. And I also say, if Rodgers shows up and plays like he did last year on a 5-12 Jets team, he’s the Steeler’s best quarterback in five years. Just that alone, that’s how desperate that they’ve been,” Brandt said, according to video via NFL Network. “And yet I look at this as for Rodgers, the guy who always is the power broker and always controls his message: is this his third choice? Like, I think he wanted to be on the Rams. I think he was interested in the Vikings.
“And now it’s like, ‘Alright, I’ll guess I’ll go to the Steelers and jump into that horrific division.’ And it’s horrific in the sense that it’s gonna be really, really difficult.”
The Steelers are quite vulnerable, there is no way of getting around that. They lost Justin Fields in free agency, were unable to attract Sam Darnold, and let Wilson walk though there seemed to be no interest in bringing back the veteran quarterback for another season.
They’ve had their focus on Rodgers and seem very comfortable being willing to wait for a decision from him one way or another. They can say they are comfortable rolling with Mason Rudolph and a draft pick in 2025 if they miss out on Rodgers, but that would be an abject disaster and a lost season entirely if that were to happen.
For some, it’ll be a wasted season with Rodgers, which is fair.
But this is not a great spot to be in, waiting for a decision from the four-time NFL MVP who seems to have eyes for other situations and is seemingly waiting it out as long as he can.
That has Brandt annoyed and questioning Rodgers further.
“At this point you’ve met with the team, Russell Wilson’s going [to the Giants]. What are we waiting for now? Because it’s been weeks. You’ve gotten to contemplate it. You shook the hands, you took the tour, you saw the weight room, you saw the cafeteria,” Brandt said of Rodgers. “Everyone else does their job. If we don’t get this now, what are we waiting for?
“I think the time is now. And if we don’t, it seems kind of self-indulgent.”
It does seem kind of self-indulgent with Rodgers, which shouldn’t be a surprise. Granted, he’s earned the right to take his time and make the best, most informed decision possible. But this has gone on far too long.
He’s spoken in the past about his admiration for Mike Tomlin, his coaching style and the Steelers’ organization. He’s made the trip to the South Side facility, met with all the key figures and has seen the insides of the day-to-day operations.
With Wilson off the board, it’s time for Rodgers to settle into his next spot. If not now, when? The Steelers have done this to themselves, but even they need to put a limit on this one way or another.
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