The Pittsburgh Steelers finally got their wish. Aaron Rodgers made his 2026 plans official by agreeing to rejoin the team for the 2026 season.
This move was met with a mix of emotions from Steelers fans. On one hand, Pittsburgh is getting a capable veteran signal-caller who can run an offense and should help them win football games this season. On the other hand, we won't get to see young QBs like Will Howard or Drew Allar take the field this season, barring a Rodgers injury.
Before signing, much of the Steelers' fanbase was on board with turning the page on the 42-year-old quarterback and aiming toward the future of the team. The fear is that this season will all be for not—that Rodgers will do enough to help Pittsburgh scrape together 9-10 wins only to miss the playoffs or witness another early postseason exit.
If this happens, Omar Khan and the front office won't have anything to show for it. They would be forced to find a new quarterback anyway in 2027, but wouldn't be picking high enough to land a potential franchise QB organically in the NFL Draft next year.
Because of this—and because of how the Steelers have done business over the past few seasons—it's fair to call the Aaron Rodgers move shortsighted. And the team has only one thing in mind with this decision: snapping their despicable winless playoff drought.
Aaron Rodgers gives the Pittsburgh Steelers their best chance to avoid a 10-year winless playoff drought
Aaron Rodgers isn't the same MVP-level quarterback he once was. These days, it might not even be fair to label him as an average-level starter when compared to his QB peers around the league. While Rodgers had respectable raw statistics in 16 games last year (3,322 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, seven interceptions), his advanced analytics told a different story.
Among quarterbacks with at least 100 snaps last season, Rodgers finished 43rd in the NFL in time to throw, 35th in success rate, 42nd in average depth of target, 41st in intended air yards per pass attempt, 23rd in EPA, and 23rd in QBR.
But despite a season-long sample of low-upside plays, Rodgers still gives the Steelers their best shot to snap their pitiful playoff drought.
While he no longer possesses elite athletic traits or the ability to consistently extend plays, Rodgers is accurate and remains excellent at keeping the ball out of harm's way. These traits alone will keep the Steelers somewhat competitive in most games this season.
At this stage of his career, Rodgers' skill set falls short of what Steelers fans desire at the position, and it's unreasonable to think Pittsburgh will be Super Bowl contenders with the four-time MVP at the helm (they weren't anything close to that with Rodgers last year).
But if the goal is to win a playoff game and avoid a ten-year drought without a playoff win—which seems to be what the Pittsburgh Steelers are aiming for—Rodgers was the top-remaining QB who gives this team the best shot at doing that.
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