With each passing day, the Aaron Rodgers saga refuses to fade, as both the Steelers and Giants anxiously await his decision—will he suit up for them this fall, or will he hang up his cleats for good? The Steelers remain stuck in quarterback purgatory, repeatedly failing to secure either a long-term franchise QB or even a short-term fix capable of delivering a Super Bowl—or at the very least, a playoff win.
The endless cycle has grown exhausting, and many believe it’s time for Pittsburgh to finally acknowledge reality and take a hard look at the bigger picture. Steelers fans have a clear vision of how this season should unfold—with or without Rodgers—but the organization either refuses to see it or is simply too stubborn to accept the harsh truth they must eventually confront.
No matter who lines up at QB, the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t be Super Bowl contenders in 2025
The reality is that whoever starts at quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025 doesn't matter—they won't be a Super Bowl contender, no matter how much we hope they will be. It's not being a bad fan to think this; it's simply the truth.
For the past few years, the Steelers have been in "win-now" mode, and at first, that made sense with Cam Heyward aging but still playing at a high level, and TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick in their primes. The core of your best players deserves a shot at a Super Bowl, which is why the Steelers brought in Russell Wilson last season.
Unfortunately, Wilson had shown a steady decline during his time in Denver, and the Broncos ended up paying him a huge amount of money to never play for them again. The Steelers thought they were just a veteran QB away from having a legitimate chance to hoist the Lombardi trophy, but as the season ended, we saw how disastrous that decision was.
You’d think the Steelers would’ve learned their lesson from that experiment, but no—they’re trying it again with Rodgers. This time, they’re bringing in a QB who’s older than Wilson, coming off a disastrous year with the Jets after recovering from an Achilles injury. And, just like with Wilson, another team is paying a huge cap hit for Rodgers to not play for them anymore.
But here’s the kicker: the Steelers will have to pay Rodgers a hefty sum, unlike the bargain they had with Wilson. So, what exactly is the front office doing here?
Hoping a 41-year-old QB can stay healthy and somehow turn around his career after a rough season, only for the Steelers to still likely fall short of a playoff win and be stuck in the same situation they’ve been in for years—good enough to be stuck in mediocrity, but not enough to actually contend.
It’s time for the Steelers to stop playing the game of trying to "contend" and face the reality: they haven’t won a playoff game in almost a decade. It’s time for Pittsburgh to embrace being an average team in 2025. They brought back Mason Rudolph, and rather than paying a premium for Rodgers to keep them stuck in the same position, why not give Rudolph a shot as a bridge QB for a year or two? He could play well enough to keep the Steelers in the wildcard hunt, or he might struggle, leading to a high draft pick in 2026.
This would give the team the opportunity to select a quarterback in the first round without needing to trade up from their usual mid-round position. The most likely scenario with Rudolph starting is a down year for the team, but if he performs well, the Steelers could have a solid quarterback for the future and give a rookie time to develop behind him for a year.
Yes, the Steelers will have plenty of picks next year that could be used for trade bait, but why not just admit that the upcoming season will likely be a down year? That way, they can build a more complete team around a future franchise QB, just like they did when they drafted Ben Roethlisberger.
It’s okay to take a step back for a year if it means finding a QB who can lead the team for the next decade. It’s okay to admit that their attempts to win now have failed, and sticking to the same old process is just delaying the inevitable.