Sorry Steelers fans, Aaron Rodgers is officially staying in Green Bay

Aaron Rodgers just inked a massive new extension with the Green Bay Packers. The dream of him playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers now comes to an end.

I think most Steelers fans understood that the whole idea of Aaron Rodgers coming to Pittsburgh was nothing more than a pipe dream… though he did get our hopes up at times. At the end of the day, it just didn’t make a lot of sense for Green Bay to part with their four-time MVP and former Super Bowl-winning quarterback.

It was a long, drawn-out time of questioning what Rodgers would do, but the two sides finally agreed to terms on a rich, new contract that now makes Aaron Rodgers one of the wealthiest players in NFL history.

On Tuesday morning, Ian Rapaport of NFL Network reported that Rodgers and the Packers officially agreed to terms on a four-year, $200 million contract extension with an eye-popping $153 million in guaranteed money.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1501232835486703625

For several fan bases, Aaron Rodgers was the most talked-about topic early in the offseason, as the idea of one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL hitting the trade block after back-to-back MVP seasons is something you never see in football.

With this drama-filled saga now coming to an end, Steelers fans now face a reality most of us knew all along: Aaron Rodgers isn’t the next franchise quarterback in Pittsburgh.

Steelers fans face disappointment

I admit, going from Ben Roethlisberger to Aaron Rodgers would have been a dream scenario. Pittsburgh’s Super Bowl window would have opened right back up for another 3-4 years and their odds to win a championship would have skyrocketed to among the best in the league.

We have seen how big of a difference a great quarterback can make in the NFL, and this move would have made the Steelers contenders. While many fans are left disappointed, it’s important to remember that this was never overly realistic, to begin with.

For starters, the Steelers didn’t have a lot of draft capital to worth with, and reports suggest that it would have cost at least three first-round picks to acquire the future Hall of Fame quarterback from Green Bay. After doing so, Pittsburgh would have been forced to cut back this offseason as Rodgers would soak up every penny of available cap space and every ounce of draft capital with his rich, new deal.

In addition, if the Packers were in fact willing to trade Rodgers, other teams (like the Broncos) would have stood a much better chance with more draft capital and cap space to make the logistics of the trade work.

Envisioning Aaron Rodgers in a Steelers jersey would have been fun, but the reality of the situation was that this was nothing more than just a dream. Pittsburgh still has just as many questions at the quarterback position as they did before. I guess, at the very least, we don’t have to worry about Rodgers coming to the AFC.