On The Rich Eisen Show last week, Pittsburgh Steelers team captain and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward [said that the team is in a “state of urgency”](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/03/not-just-enough-to-win-a-playoff-game-cam-heyward-says-steelers-in-state-of-urgency/) with a number of veteran players, including himself, nearing the end of their careers. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016, and Heyward said the team wants to do more than just win a playoff game.
“I think we’re in a state of urgency,” Heyward said. “We have a lot of guys, like myself, that are in the latter stages of their career. We all wanna win. It’s not just enough to win a playoff game, which we haven’t won in a couple years. And there’s a bad taste in our mouth because of that.”
Because the Steelers have a roster that can compete and win now but a lack of quarterback options, the team has spun the wheel of veteran free agents, signing Russell Wilson last season and now showing interest in Aaron Rodgers. While it might not be the best long-term strategy, I understand the rationale. What I don’t understand is that the Steelers are content with sitting and waiting and letting Aaron Rodgers make his decision without giving him some sort of deadline.
The Steelers seemingly have no problem waiting as long as Rodgers wants to make his decision. They’re basically allowing themselves to get left at the altar if a better opportunity, [like with the Minnesota Vikings](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/03/vikings-cant-100-forever-rule-out-aaron-rodgers-team-currently-happy-with-qb-room/), comes up. If Rodgers wants to play in Pittsburgh, then he needs to sign.
He’s reportedly still considering retirement, but at this point, the Steelers need to know who their 2025 starting quarterback is going to be. Being content to sit and wait for Rodgers is not only a sign of just how bad Pittsburgh’s plan is at quarterback, but it also can affect draft planning given it’s now dragged into late March and almost surely will drag into April.
The longer this drags on, the more it feels like the Steelers will be left empty-handed. Without Rodgers, they’re probably not going to make that playoff run that Heyward and T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick so desperately seek, so they need to get Rodgers signed and in the building. Letting him continue to take his time opens the door for another suitor to come in and for the Steelers to look silly for their weeks-long pursuit to end with nothing.
Outside of the Rodgers saga, the Steelers have done a pretty good job this offseason. While they failed to meaningfully upgrade the defensive line in free agency, I assume they’re planning to do so in the draft, likely with a first-round pick. They were able to load up on compensatory picks for 2025, and they added two viable cornerbacks, a star wide receiver in DK Metcalf and solid depth at key positions.
None of that is going to matter if the Steelers are rolling out a quarterback room led by Mason Rudolph. While Rudolph has shown flashes, I don’t think the Steelers are making a playoff run with him under center. Losing out on Rodgers at this point would be embarrassing for the franchise.
The Steelers believe Aaron Rodgers gives them their best chance to win. The team’s veterans are desperate to win. So don’t let the quarterback you’ve pursued for weeks sit around and wait for offseason programs to start to try and jump at a potentially better opportunity. If he truly wants to be in Pittsburgh, the Steelers need to give him a deadline to sign a deal and move on with their offseason.