Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin's Infatuation With Aaron Rodgers Receives The Unfortunate Hard Truth For 2025

The Pittsburgh Steelers are apparently willing to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers nearly all the time he needs to make up his mind about his future in the NFL. Rodgers recently met with Head Coach Mike Tomlin, General Manager Omar Khan, and Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith at the Steelers' facility last Friday. Longtime Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette broke the news about the six-plus hour meeting that was primarily a "getting-to-know-each-other" event, rather than intense contract negotiations. 

Other NFL insiders have suggested Rodgers staged that meeting to see if there were cracks or leaks within the organization. That was something that he complained about with the New York Jets. Regardless, insiders feel the Rodgers to Pittsburgh deal is all but done. However, the deal isn't finalized yet, and fans worry that the team cannot move forward in the offseason without their quarterback locked up.   

They recently re-signed longtime former backup Mason Rudolph. Rudolph, of the 2023 Christmas miracle, spent last season with the Tennessee Titans. If Rodgers doesn't pan out and the team chooses not to re-sign Russell Wilson, they could fall back on Rudolph to lead the team. Dulac recently spoke with Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show on 102.5 WDVE and was asked what the difference in wins is between a Rodgers-led team and a Rudolph-led team. Dulac said he hates to say, "We're gonna find out," but that is the situation. 

"I think the thought is it's Aaron Rodgers of 10 years ago," said Dulac. "He's gonna be 42. They gave Mason a backup contract. But if he has to play, I guess they're fairly comfortable with that. If Mason Rudolph is the quarterback and Aaron Rodgers is not, they are going to bring in another veteran because they always have two veteran-capable starting quarterbacks on the roster. The guy won five games last year, and he had Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and Breece Hall. He had much better weapons than the Steelers had, and he won five games. I know the Jets are the Jets, but I don't know what they think they're going to do with Aaron Rodgers and why Mike Tomlin is infatuated with the idea."

Rodgers was brought in as the savior of the Jets in 2023 and tragically suffered a season-ending Achilles injury on the fourth offensive snap of the season. He came back in 2024, but the team struggled. Rumors are that Rodgers has a history of butting heads with team officials, and demanding control of the offense. Dulac doesn't see that happening in Pittsburgh. This is Smith's offense.  

Dulac said it's impossible to predict when they will draft a quarterback. There is a chance they could select a third-round or later quarterback in this year's NFL Draft, but they could also put all their eggs in one basket and go all in on someone in the 2026 NFL Draft when the quarterbacks are expected to be higher quality. 

Aaron Rodgers Unlikely To Be Granted Roster Demands

In the past, Rodgers has made demands of his team about who joins him on the roster, especially in the case of his receivers. When he went to the Jets, he reportedly gave them a wish list of players he wanted the team to acquire. That list included Davante Adams and Alan Lazard, who joined him in New York. 

Dulac said that is unlikely to happen in Pittsburgh. For one thing, the Steelers don't normally give their players that level of control, and they don't have that much room left on their current roster. If Rodgers comes to the Steelers, he will not have the unilateral control he appeared to have with the Jets. Instead, Smith will run the offense. They may not handcuff Rodgers like they have done in the past, but he will likely not have free rein. 

What do you think the win differential is between Rudolph and Rodgers? Tell us what you think below!

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