Is anybody else feeling like we've been here before? Once again, the Pittsburgh Steelers are stuck in a waiting game with Aaron Rodgers. His decision between returning to the team and retiring hangs over the franchise like a storm cloud.
Instead of asking whether the 42-year-old will suit up for Pittsburgh in 2026, it's time to ask whether the team should even want him back. NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky laid out the exact dilemma the Steelers are facing in their ongoing Rodgers saga.
Speaking on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, Orlovsky said, "What's best for the team is that Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback. What's best for the organization is that anybody but Rodgers is the quarterback."
Dan Orlovsky echoes what Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been saying about Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers is a better quarterback in 2026 than Will Howard or Drew Allar. Even if he's declined in the last few years, that much is clear. But if he's not good enough to make the team any better than average, is he really the best option?
Orlovsky put the state of the franchise with Rodgers under center in simple terms, saying, "I think, with Aaron as their quarterback, they are a fringe playoff team. They're not gonna be better than Buffalo, New England, Baltimore, Cincy, Houston, Jacksonville, the Chargers, Denver, so you've got to hope that one of those eight or nine teams doesn't play well and you kind of shoot over your skis. I think they're a nine-win team with Aaron."
So, they'll be the same fringe playoff team that they've been since Ben Roethlisberger hung up the cleats. The front office has made it clear that the top priority is staying competitive every season, even if that holds them back from ever becoming true contenders. Whether you call the philosophy honorable or complacent, it's clear that it hasn't worked for Pittsburgh.
No, Howard and Allar are not better quarterbacks than Rodgers. With either of them under center, the Steelers may not surpass five wins in 2026.
And that's okay.
A down year could allow the organization to reset and find a quarterback to build around for the future. This ongoing stretch of mediocrity leaves the Steelers scrambling for an answer at QB every offseason. As Orlovsky said, the best organizational move for Pittsburgh is to take a step back and move on from the Rodgers drama once and for all.
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