The Aaron Rodgers era in New York is already over. Not long after that report surfaced, the sweepstakes for his next destination were wide open. One of the teams he’s already being linked to is the Pittsburgh Steelers, though their players don’t seem excited about the idea. Steelers safety DeShon Elliott commented on a post about the Rodgers-to-the-Steelers rumors, saying, “Leave his ass at the retirement home.”
Advertisement
A crass way to express his feelings, to be sure. But, those feelings are surely understandable. Rodgers was supposed to be the Jets’ savior, but instead, they’re worse off now than when he arrived. Why would any team want the drama that comes with Rodgers if it doesn’t at least lead to football success?
Nonetheless, Stephen A. Smith—who also chided Elliott for his comment, saying he wasn’t a good enough player to comment—argued that Rodgers would be an improvement over Steelers incumbent QB Russell Wilson.
“Aaron Rodgers isn’t that bad man anymore. He has not been. But some would argue he’s better than Russell Wilson. Some would look at his accuracy passing the football, the potential that still exists, etc., and say hey he could do some things. If I’m the Steelers, I don’t summarily dismiss the possibility of an Aaron Rodgers,” said Stephen A. on First Take.
A quick statistical comparison between Wilson and Rodgers will show that they had very similar campaigns last year. Wilson had a slight advantage in most areas, however. Including passer rating, completion percentage (so much for that accuracy Smith was talking about), and yards per completion.
Wilson also had more wins despite playing fewer games than Rodgers. The former Seahawks QB isn’t as mobile as he once was, but he’s still a lot more mobile than 40-year-old Rodgers.
It’s also worth mentioning that while DeShon Elliott could’ve used different words, he’s definitely a good enough player to make such comments, contrary to what Stephen A. would have you believe. He played the tough, hard-hitting, hard-nosed style of football Steelers fans adore in his first year in the Steel City, and finished as a top 10 in-the-box safety in the league and the very best tackler at his position to boot, per PFF.
A lot of his teammates probably share his opinion on Rodgers as well, especially after the failed Wilson experiment last year. Pittsburgh also has bigger fish to fry in 2025 than luring another over-the-hill QB to Western Pennsylvania.
Aaron Rodgers wouldn’t solve Steelers’ main issues
Stephen A. also talked about how the Steelers need another wide receiver to pair with George Pickens. He argued that perhaps it was even a priority over finally solving the QB question that has haunted the team since Big Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement in 2021.
“I need another wide receiver, opposite George Pickens, and I need that quarterback. And by the way, I need the receiver more than I need the quarterback, because they’ve already shown me that with just Pickens, that’s not gonna be enough no matter who the quarterback is.”
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo made a good point in support of Smith, saying that Rodgers could solve both problems in Pittsburgh, as Davante Adams could once again follow him to his next team. It’s an interesting thought, but one would think that the Steelers would love to grab Adams without Rodgers if possible.
Pickens and Adams, plus TE Pat Freiermuth and likely a first-round rookie receiver, would suddenly create a pretty intriguing group of playmakers for a potential QB.
Perhaps they could lure a Sam Darnold with that type of setup, but it’s more likely that the Steelers stand pat at QB in 2025. They tried the veteran thing with Wilson in 2024, and it didn’t work. They’re not going to try it again with an older, less mobile veteran in 2025.
Most probably, they’ll take the safe approach, as they often do. They’ll give Justin Fields a shot to prove himself, and set their sights on the 2026 QB draft class. It’s highlighted by Texas prodigy Arch Manning and promises to be far stronger than the oft-criticized 2025 edition. A mid-round QB like Jalen Milroe or Will Howard in this year’s draft could also be a dart throw option.
