Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Pittsburgh Steelers have struggled to find consistency at quarterback. They tried to find his successor in Kenny Pickett, but that pick didn’t pan out. Over the past two years, they’ve opted to use free agency to find their starter. Last season, it was Russell Wilson. Now, it’s Aaron Rodgers. There’s some hope that Rodgers can recapture some of his former glory. However, former NFL linebacker LaVar Arrington doesn’t like how the Steelers have handled the quarterback position.
“Am I wrong for thinking that the way this has been handled, the way the quarterback situation was maybe perceivably handled last year with [Justin] Fields and Wilson, it comes across to me as mismanagement,” Arrington said recently on Up on Game. “It doesn’t come across to me as decisive. It doesn’t come across to me as this is definitively taking this Pittsburgh Steelers team in the right direction.”
It’s fair to question the Steelers’ plan under center in recent years. Entering last offseason, they weren’t committed to getting rid of Pickett. That only came about after they signed Wilson, a move Pickett didn’t like.
Then, they traded for Fields, but he was in the driver’s seat at quarterback. Mike Tomlin said Wilson was in “pole position” before the season began, and nothing seemed to change that. Both Fields and Wilson had flashes of quality play in 2024, but neither was good enough to truly elevate the Steelers.
That led to Wilson and Fields leaving in free agency this year. Reportedly, the Steelers wanted to retain Fields, but he chose to sign with the New York Jets instead. For the second offseason in a row, the Steelers totally overhauled their quarterback room, not returning anyone from last year.
That might come off as mismanagement, but it’s not like Pittsburgh let any franchise players walk out the door. Pickett hasn’t shown any more potential away from the Steelers. With Wilson starting, the Steelers lost their final four games of the regular season, so it’s tough to say letting him leave was the wrong decision.
Maybe not re-signing Fields was a mistake, but it’s too early to say that for sure. He’s an incredible athlete, but it takes more than that to succeed as a quarterback in the NFL. Fields looked fine with the Steelers, but some of the problems he had with the Chicago Bears were still present.
Rodgers might not be the same player that he once was, but the Steelers didn’t have many better options at quarterback. There wasn’t really a long-term solution available for them.
This season, Rodgers should help the Steelers compete for a playoff spot. They probably aren’t Super Bowl contenders, but they could win a playoff game. While that isn’t their ultimate goal, it would be a positive development compared to their last few seasons.
It seems like Pittsburgh is planning to try to find its next franchise quarterback in the 2026 draft. Quarterback has been a massive issue for the Steelers, and the addition of Rodgers could fail, but at least for the 2025 season, it feels like they could’ve done worse to fill that void.
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