Steelers Hit With Concerning Reality On National Television: "Bad Quarterback"

The Pittsburgh Steelers' fan base is tired of talking about the team's quarterback situation. The 2025 offseason has been exhausting, and the majority of it has been analyzing every move from veteran signal-caller, Aaron Rodgers. There is a strong belief that he will commit to playing in the Steel City at some point, but with Organized Team Activities (OTAs) set to begin, everyone is wondering where the future Hall of Famer is. It's important to get reps in with teammates in the summer months, especially when someone hasn't played with any of them in the past.

If Rodgers decides to retire, or wait for a different opportunity, then Mason Rudolph will be the organization's starter with a youngster in Will Howard breathing down his neck. Overall, none of the options are overwhelmingly positive, as even Rodgers isn't expected to play his best football at 41 years old. The situation has plenty of members throughout the national media giving their opinions about the Steelers' interesting predicament.

On Monday morning, ESPN analyst and insider, Dan Graziano, appeared on GetUp. The panel was talking about Pittsburgh and what is happening when it comes to the franchise's signal-caller spot. No one is quite sure who will be under center for the team in 2025, but Graziano stated a blatant belief that Rodgers is nowhere near what he used to be.

"This is not MVP Aaron Rodgers. This is not 2020 Aaron Rodgers. This is a shell of that. He was a bad quarterback in the NFL last season," Graziano stated. "He was not markedly better last season than Mason Rudolph was for the Tennessee Titans when he played."

Rudolph had a good stretch to end the Steelers' 2023 season, but then moved on to play for the Tennessee Titans for one year. Graziano made a fair argument in regards to the two quarterbacks. Both weren't that great in 2024, and that's about as concerning as it can get. Pittsburgh hasn't made too many attempts to bolster the position, which made Graziano assume why Rodgers is the organization's only hope.

"I think what the Steelers are doing here is, they assess the quarterback market this offseason. They didn't really love any of the options, and so they didn't really stretch. They didn't try to outbid the Jets for Justin Fields. They didn't get into the Sam Darnold thing."

Everyone is expecting the Steelers to draft another quarterback in 2026, but that doesn't help the 2025 problem. Even if Rodgers does come to play in the Steel City, he might be only a small step up from what Rudolph could potentially do.

The conversations about Rodgers will continue until he makes a legitimate decision, but fans and analysts alike all believe that he will play for the Steelers in 2025. He has said that he would be willing to play for $10 million, which would give Pittsburgh the flexibility to allocate some money elsewhere as well. The problem is, until pen is put to paper, all decisions could have been put on hold.

Rodgers may not care about his decision to take his time regarding his future, but as June is set to begin, it would be fair to the other players in the locker room if he were simply to get on board or pass on the opportunity. The absence of a true top quarterback on the roster is already causing controversy for one of the NFL's most popular franchises.

Steelers Need An Elite Offense To Compete In 2025

Pittsburgh hasn't had a consistent offense in years, which is why the presence of a veteran like Rodgers could help. There is no way to tell which version of him the team may get, and as Graziano stated, Rodgers wasn't that good in 2024. The hope is that he had another offseason to get his Achilles fully healthy, and comes in ready to help a unit get much better. The franchise will need a huge step up in offensive performance if it wants to compete in 2025.

Do you think the Steelers are making a bad decision by waiting all this time for Rodgers to sign a contract? Let us know in the comments below!

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