Although it took seemingly all offseason to become official, the Pittsburgh Steelers will enter the 2025 season with Aaron Rodgers as the team’s starting quarterback. All signs pointed to that reality, but Rodgers took his time deciding, making sure he was actually committed to joining his third franchise and pursuing a Super Bowl at 41 years old.
Fortunately for the Steelers, Rodgers did decide to give it one more go. If he hadn’t, there’s no telling who would be starting at quarterback in Pittsburgh. Even with Rodgers in the QB room, the Steelers' group of quarterbacks is recognized as one of the worst rooms in the league.
In a recent piece for The Athletic, Saad Yousuf ranked the 10 worst quarterback situations in the entire NFL. Even with Rodgers, a Hall of Famer leading the way, Pittsburgh was ranked as the fifth-worst quarterback situation in the league.
The Athletic ranks the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback room as the fifth-worst in the NFL
Simply put, Yousuf questioned if Rodgers still has it. However, the writer acknowledged it really doesn’t matter if he does or not, because Pittsburgh doesn’t even have a backup quarterback they could start if Rodgers plays badly. If the Steelers are forced to turn in another direction because of an injury to the four-time MVP, the season would all but be over.
"Was Rodgers' disappointing 2024 season a product of being in a Jets uniform or because Father Time finally caught up, especially after an Achilles injury? Rodgers is only three years removed from winning league MVP honors, but he'll turn 42 in December. There's virtually no chance the Steelers look elsewhere at quarterback if Rodgers is healthy, so the backup situation only comes into play if he is forced to miss time. But if that happens, it's a collection of players in line who wouldn't register in the top half of the league of backup quarterbacks."Saad Yousuf (The Athletic)
It’s hard for even the most optimistic Pittsburgh fan to disagree with this assessment. Everyone acknowledges the Steelers are pushing all their chips to the middle of the table, but it’s still a gamble at the end of the day. This collection of veteran talent, led by Rodgers, could lead the franchise to another Super Bowl, or it could be a disaster. As always, only time will tell.