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Amid Aaron Rodgers Drama, Charlie Batch Reckons Steelers Should “Block Out the Distractions & Do the Job Moving Forward”

Robert Gullo
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is shown after he led Gang Green to a 32-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins, on Jan. 5, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J.

It is now the beginning of June and the middle of OTA sessions, and Aaron Rodgers is still unsigned. As the days go on with Rodgers unsigned, football fans (specifically Steelers fans) are growing more frustrated.

The Steelers drafted Ohio State quarterback Wil Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft and brought back Mason Rudolph in free agency. While it isn’t the most ideal to head into the season with those and Skylar Thompson in their quarterback room, it may be their best option at this point. 

Joining NFL talk show host Kay Adams, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch spoke about the situation they’re in and thinks his former team should move on from the thoughts of Rodgers. He thinks the lingering question of when and whether Rodgers will join the team is causing too much of a distraction, and rather, the Steelers should just figure it out between Rudolph and Howard.

“They have to move forward,” Batch said. “They brought Mason Rudolph here this offseason, he has to answer that question, as to when Aaron could potentially show, and mentor a young Will Howard, who was drafted here. It’s a tough situation to be in, but you have to be able to block out the distractions and do your job moving forward.”

It’s tough to predict whether or not Aaron Rodgers will be a Steeler this season. The man is full of mysteries. 

All signs have pointed and still point to Rodgers signing with the Steelers, but that’s only if he wants to. Rodgers showed interest in joining the Vikings this offseason, but they had no plans on signing him at the time. If second-year QB J.J. McCarthy is slow in his progression or if the Vikings aren’t ready to start him, perhaps they’ll be interested in Rodgers. 

The New Orleans Saints, who are in need of a quarterback, are a team Rodgers isn’t interested in signing with, as he stated so publicly recently. There aren’t many teams in the Aaron Rodgers sweepstakes, so the two most likely scenarios seem to be either him signing with the Steelers or retiring. 

If Rodgers joins the Steelers, he will be their starting quarterback this season with Rudolph and Howard serving as backups. Adding Rodgers would make the Steelers a playoff contender, but that may be about it.

About the author

Robert Gullo

Robert Gullo

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Rob is an NFL Journalist for The SportsRush. He was a University of Central Connecticut State University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in sports journalism. Rob has followed football ever since he was old enough to understand the game and is a Jacksonville Jaguars fan. Rob has written over 4,000 NFL articles and has interviewed many athletes in his career such as: Tyreek Hill, Will Levis, Byron Jones, Adam Thielen, Isiah Pacheco, Caitlin Clark, and many other professional athletes. Outside of The SportsRush, Rob is involved with other sports at the high school and college level, serving as the reporter/editor of the New Britain Herald newspaper in New Britain, Connecticut. Outside of sports, Rob likes to hike, travel, work out, remain active, and hang out with friends.

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