Over the weekend, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers came to an agreement on a deal to land the 42-year-old quarterback back with the team for one more season. It was news we all saw coming, but it feels good to finally have it over and done with.
Reactions came in aplenty since the news broke. One former Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman saw his chance to take a shot at Rodgers when appearing live on ESPN's "Unsportsmanlike."
11-year NFL veteran Chris Canty commented on the Rodgers return and did not mince words:
"When you sign Aaron Rodgers to be your QB week 1, what you are doing is conceding that we ain't winning a championship this year."
Woof. If you're a Steelers fan, you might be inclined to jump up in defense of your team here. And, that's fair. Canty played for the Ravens from 2013-2015, so he has a taste of this rivalry, which is more than enough to make this sting a little bit.
Chris Canty is absolutely right with his vicious shot at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers
In the grand scheme of things, though, is Canty wrong? It is incredibly hard to disagree with him, here.
Two things can be true, here. Signing Rodgers gives the Steelers their best chance to finally end a miserable playoff losing streak, but this is also nothing more than a short-sighted move that won't result in a championship.
Looking at the other guys on this roster, it is hard to picture Will Howard or Drew Allar being the ones who snap that streak.
So, if we're comparing the Steelers' quarterback room to Rodgers, then yes, he gives them their best chance to win a playoff game. But that'd be one lowly, essentially-meaningless Wild Card Round victory.
Beyond that, the Steelers aren't winning anything. Canty is right. It hurts to admit, but every Steelers fan knows it. Pittsburgh has been putting Band Aids on the position for a while now. This team isn't good enough to win a championship, and a 42-year-old Rodgers doesn't move the needle all that much.
Sure, Rodgers played fairly well last year, but he was more so the guy who wouldn't lose you the game rather than being one to completely change the face of the game for the better.
Rodgers is still capable of being an accurate quarterback and making many of the throws necessary in today's NFL. But, he is no longer the guy who will flip a game on its head. He's "good enough," which is perfect for a franchise who has tried to be exactly that for years now, but nothing more.
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