For months, Aaron Rodgers had said all the right things to the Pittsburgh Steelers, if not to everyone else. He had asked about practice schedules. He had throwing sessions with new Steelers receiver DK Metcalf. He had been in communication with head coach Mike Tomlin. He had given the Steelers every reason to believe he would eventually be theirs, as long as he did not shift field and completely leave the game.
During that time, the Steelers could only wait, knowing they were Rodgers' only potential landing spot, but having no more significant insight into his timeline than anyone else. Notably, Pittsburgh waited until the sixth round in April's draft to select a quarterback, Will Howard, about as clear as sign as possible that the team was confident Rodgers would be its QB1.
On Thursday, their very patient approach finally paid off, when Rodgers told the team he would be in Pittsburgh for their minicamp next week. The drama of his courtship and his decision-making process gives way to a more immediate concern: What does he still have left and how much can the Steelers put around him?
The Steelers are a win-right-now team, with defensive veterans like T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, who have seen Pittsburgh through the final years of the Ben Roethlisberger era and then the long wandering through the fallow field of franchise quarterback wannabes. The Steelers have made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons. But Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson all came and went, doing enough to keep the team above .500 and get into the last two postseasons, but nowhere near enough to win a playoff game.
For Rodgers to get the Steelers over the hump, he will have to be considerably more consistent than he was with the New York Jets last year, when he showed flashes of being able to lead drives with his arm and brain, if no longer with his legs. Rodgers was coming back from an Achilles tear he suffered in his first game with the Jets in 2023, and there is little doubt that the injury -- coupled with being 40 years old -- contributed to the absence of mobility. The problem is that quarterbacks -- or any professional athlete, for that matter -- do not get better as they get older and there were real moments when Rodgers looked like he was very near the end. The Jets were a flawed team -- in coaching, in personnel -- and Rodgers is further removed from the worst injury of his career and from other injuries that nagged him last season, but it is fair to wonder if Rodgers is still the kind of player who can elevate his teammates. Rodgers looked mostly fine when throwing to his old friend Davante Adams last season. But his connection with a young star like Garrett Wilson never fully materialized, to the detriment of Wilson, Rodgers and the Jets offense.
Still, Rodgers played better toward the end of the season -- perhaps because he was healthier -- and finished the season with 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while the team went 5–12 overall. It was not MVP-level Rodgers, but there was at least enough on tape to convince the Steelers that in an offseason offering few options -- it was considered a weak draft class at the position and their top choice in free agency, Fields, decided to sign with the Jets instead of staying in Pittsburgh -- Rodgers would give them the best chance to do what the Steelers are supposed to do: win playoff games.
To do that, it is up to the franchise to add more weapons for Rodgers after an offseason that has seen some big-name attrition. Running back Najee Harris is a Charger. George Pickens was traded to the Cowboys. Metcalf, by far the biggest offseason move before Rodgers, will be the No. 1 receiver and his downfield playmaking ability should match with Rodgers' accuracy and arm. The offensive line is going to be important here. Rodgers can still sling it when he has time. Too often with the Jets, though, he felt the pressure coming and resorted to short, over the middle dump-off passes to avoid taking hits. That's normal for an older quarterback who is not as mobile as he was as a younger player -- and it is potentially good news for slot receiver Calvin Austin III and tight end Pat Freiermuth -- but a porous offensive line and a skittish Rodgers would not be able to take full advantage of Metcalf's skills.
A meeting this week with free-agent Gabe Davis did not result in a contract and the Steelers likely have to keep looking for receiving targets. Pittsburgh drafted running back Kaleb Johnson, who is big with a good burst. The hope is he will add a spark and bigger running plays to a unit that struggled last season, and that offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will be able to lean into the running game he would like to execute. Without more personnel additions in the weeks before the team heads to Latrobe, Pennsylvania, in late July for training camp, the Steelers will be counting very heavily on the defense and Tomlin to generate enough support for Rodgers.
For as much relief and anticipation as Rodgers' decision generates, it is still just a band-aid for the Steelers. Even if they win big with Rodgers, it has been years since they could be assured they had a long-term answer at quarterback. Perhaps they hit the jackpot with Howard, who now can watch Rodgers. Perhaps the Steelers will be looking for a quarterback next offseason.
Rodgers, who will turn 42 in December, is a bridge, something he hasn't been in his Hall of Fame-caliber career. His buy-in will be critical -- it was clear he grew frustrated in New York last season -- but so will the Steelers'. The roster needs more help to maximize whatever time the Steelers get with Rodgers. Without reinforcements, the long wait for this quarterback, while finally over, will still have been in vain.
