Will Aaron Rodgers join the Pittsburgh Steelers? That feels likely, but it seems like no one has any idea when Rodgers will make a decision. The Steelers look comfortable waiting for him, and he doesn’t seem to be in any rush to give them an answer. The situation is almost beyond getting dragged out. Some Steelers fans might be sick of hearing that Rodgers still hasn’t made a decision. However, former Steelers’ corner Bryant McFadden believes fans should still be excited for Rodgers to land in Pittsburgh potentially.
“For Steeler nation, should they want Aaron Rodgers?” McFadden asked on Monday on CBS Sports HQ. “No question. Yes, because of this potential relationship, you’ve kind of backed yourself in a corner with no other valuable option outside of what you currently have on the team, which is Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.
“Two veteran players, but clearly, you don’t want to go to war with those two guys as your starting quarterback from start to finish.”
McFadden is correct that Rudolph and Thompson don’t look like very appealing options as starters for an entire season. Maybe they’d be fine handling a few games, but a whole year might be too much. The Steelers’ ceiling probably wouldn’t be very high.
That’s why Pittsburgh is targeting Rodgers. He raises their ceiling. While he isn’t the same player he once was, he still has gas left in the tank. Rodgers is easily the best free-agent quarterback remaining. Waiting for him to make a decision might be annoying, but it could be worth it.
There are also probably legitimate reasons Rodgers hasn’t made a choice yet. He’s 41 years old, and the next team he signs with will likely be his last. This is the first time he’s ever been a free agent. Making a quick decision isn’t really in his best interest. While it might be frustrating, it’s slightly understandable.
McFadden pleaded with fans to exercise patience with Rodgers during that same segment.
“If you’re Steeler fans, I understand this has been an annoying waiting period. This is like waiting for that tax return check to come in the mailbox. Just keep waiting. It’s gonna come. Hopefully, it happens, and when it does, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear considering the other options that you have.”
Maybe McFadden is right. The Steelers seem to agree. They’ve seemingly made no moves to force Rodgers to hurry up. Mike Tomlin made it clear that they don’t have a hard deadline for completing a deal with him.
That’s not ideal, but if the Steelers eventually sign Rodgers, all’s well that ends well. Of course, that won’t really be the end. After all this waiting, if Rodgers signs with the Steelers, there will likely be big expectations. They probably won’t win the Super Bowl, but winning a playoff game would be a nice payoff. Getting that monkey off their back would be nice for the Steelers, even if it isn’t their ultimate goal.
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