The Pittsburgh Steelers’ pursuit of QB Aaron Rodgers has been, let’s say, polarizing. On one end, people question whether Rodgers still has the talent that justifies itself on the field. On the other, some question whether he fits their culture. Then you have the angle of commitment, the fact that he still hasn’t offered a decision potentially telling.
The whole thing has even some luminary alumni questioning their former team, such as Tony Dungy. “I’m not sure what his holdup is. I’m not sure what the Steelers are doing, either”, he said on Football Night in America about their pursuit of Aaron Rodgers. “I think they need a long-term answer. They need to find the guy who’s gonna be the quarterback for the next 10 years”.
This is a consistently-held opinion from Dungy, who previously said that if the Steelers were going to bother pursuing Rodgers, they should just re-sign Russell Wilson instead. That was his view back in the middle of January, so at least he is a rare media member who is consistent.
He did allow one variable, and that is if the Steelers viewed Rodgers as a Tom Brady to Tampa situation. If they thought they could win with him now, he said, “go ahead”. But other than that, he believes they should look in another direction. And not just from the perspective of the long-term future, but the present.
“That guy’s got to be on board. Aaron Rodgers should be saying, if he wants to do this, ‘Yeah, I can take you to a Super Bowl’”, Dungy said about how the quarterback could work with the Steelers. “’Let’s go. I love these veteran guys. Let’s get there and get rolling. Let me get there and get started’. Not, ‘Hey, I’ll get back to you in a little while and we’ll see what happens’. No, I don’t want that from the guy who I think is gonna be the hero for me”.
Considering he remains unsigned, Rodgers is clearly not saying those things about the Steelers. He has never experienced free agency before, and is certainly milking it for all it’s worth. His motivations are unclear, but in the meantime, he is running out of viable options. At present, the Steelers appear to be the only team actively pursuing him.
How long are the Steelers willing to wait on Aaron Rodgers to make a decision? Presumably, it depends upon the degree to which they are confident his decision will ultimately be to sign with them. As mentioned, he has no other currently-active suitors, but he can always opt not to play. Or if not to play, at least to wait to see if another option arises in time.
Now, this whole Aaron Rodgers situation might make the Steelers look bad, but they don’t seem to care. They have obviously identified him as their best hope for success in 2025, and if that means putting themselves out there for a while, they are clearly willing to do so.
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