The Pittsburgh Steelers have been waiting on Aaron Rodgers for a while. That’s irritating a lot of people, and Cam Heyward fueled those flames last week when he was blunt on his lack of recruiting, saying “You either want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t.”
Recently, he walked back those comments. Heyward clarified there was no ill will toward Rodgers with his comments and said he’d welcome having the four-time NFL MVP on the team in 2025. While Heyward doesn’t seem to have much of an issue, ESPN’s Chris Canty thinks he’s backpedaling.
“Is Cam Heyward a defensive tackle or a defensive back?” Canty asked Friday on Unsportsmanlike. “Cause I can’t tell with the way he’s backpedaling right there. You are showing that you are in a state of urgency, which you went on later that week to say. That’s how the Pittsburgh Steelers should be operating because they are desert-thirsty for a quarterback.”
“Desert-thirsty” is a solid way of describing the situation. Soon, we’ll be a month into the new league year, and Mason Rudolph is the only quarterback on the Steelers’ roster. When Art Rooney II began the offseason by claiming to want either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson back, it would have been hard to believe that the Steelers are in the situation they are now.
If Rodgers does ultimately sign with Pittsburgh, things should be fine. The Steelers have a promising offensive line and talented receivers, and they may add a running back through the draft. There’s ton of talent on the defense. With Rodgers, the Steelers should be a playoff team.
However, it’s hard to view yourself as a Super Bowl contender when you don’t match up at QB. Other contenders in the AFC have guys like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Joe Burrow. The Steelers, on the other hand, have a rotating door every year.
And are still waiting on the 41-year-old Rodgers to make a decision a week after he visited the Steelers.
“You guys are still an option for him even though you have made him a priority,” Canty said. “That is an embarrassment for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Little bit soft from Cam Heyward.”
Canty is right that Rodgers is a priority for Pittsburgh, and it’s not like Rodgers has many options himself. Even if he doesn’t consider the Steelers a priority now, if he wants to play in 2025, he’s going to have to at some point.
He’s also harsh on Heyward. Heyward claimed his quote regarding the ‘Darkness retreat’ was taken out of context, and that’s a fair statement. The question he was asked, and his answer, weren’t said with much seriousness. It got taken out of context enough for Heyward to decide to follow up and clarify himself. However, the fact that he had to do that, with Rodgers being their only real option available, is indicative of the state the franchise is in.
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