We are roughly a month away from the NFL Draft, and still, the Pittsburgh Steelers don't have an answer from quarterback Aaron Rodgers—at least one that we know of. Last offseason, Rodgers didn't officially join the team until June 6, though we knew he would be their answer at QB all along.
But this year is different, and the Steelers need an answer immediately.
The Steelers have chosen a direction. By trading for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and dishing out a big free-agent contract to cornerback Jamel Dean, the front office made it clear that they are looking to strike now. Pittman will turn 29 early in the 2026 season, while Dean will turn 30.
Meanwhile, Cam Heyward will turn 37 shortly after the draft, while T.J. Watt and Jalen Ramsey will turn 32 during the season. After the first wave of free agency, the Steelers still have the second-oldest snap-weighted roster in the NFL, trailing only the Washington Commanders.
But nothing from this win-now approach works if Rodgers leaves the Steelers high and dry, playing the waiting game. And, honestly, it's probably best if Rodgers decides he won't be returning to Pittsburgh for the 2026 season.
The Pittsburgh Steelers should prepare for the 2026 season without Aaron Rodgers
Perhaps these conversations have already gone on behind closed doors, and maybe Rodgers has given the team a date when he'll show up, like a knight in shining armour. However, Omar Khan made it clear early in the offseason that an answer from Rodgers would not linger as long into the offseason as it did last year.
Yet here we are—a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft without so much as a whisper of his return.
Now it's time for Pittsburgh to officially turn the page.
If Rodgers were still an above-average starting NFL quarterback, holding out for the hopes of him returning in his age-43 season might actually be worth it. But he's simply not that guy anymore. In 2025, Rodgers quickly got rid of the ball at the expense of making plays down the field, and he was afraid to get hit.
The proof is in the pudding.
Among quarterbacks who played 100-plus snaps last year, Rodgers finished 23rd in EPA per play, 35th in success rate, 42nd in average depth of target, 43rd in longest time to throw, 31st in yards per attempt, 41st in intended air yards per attempt, 42nd in completed air yards per attempt, 29th in bad throw percentage, 27th in on-target throw percentage, and 23rd in QBR, per SumerSports and advanced stats from Pro Football Reference.
There's no getting around it. Rodgers wasn't good in 2025.
Holding out hope that the aging QB will not only return but also lead the team to more success than they found last year is a futile effort. Rodgers is only getting older, and he hasn't had a noteworthy season—or a playoff win—since 2021.
Instead, the Steelers should pivot immediately, while there's still time to change their mind. Allow Will Howard to take the helm in his second season and draft a developmental QB this year. If Howard isn't the guy (and he probably won't be), Pittsburgh can take its big swing for a quarterback next year.
Enough waiting around. Enough letting Rodgers dictate the team's decisions.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to pull the plug on the waiting game and take Aaron Rodgers off the table as an option for the man to lead their offense in 2026.