"God Bless 'Em": Steelers Making Controversial Offseason Move Could Hurt Franchise

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of questions to answer about the future of the franchise this offseason, especially at the quarterback position. There's no real way of knowing whether or not Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will return for the 2026 NFL season, as he hasn't made his plans clear on this yet publicly. The Steelers have of other options within the building, plus options to target in the 2026 NFL Draft, but it seems like Rodgers is one of the favorite choices to be the quarterback for the Steelers headed into the 2026 campaign.

However, the idea of re-signing Rodgers for another year doesn't come without its potential drawbacks. Members of the media have made plenty of comments regarding the Steelers bringing back Rodgers, talking about how it would be a massive mistake. Even with how plenty of people believe the Steelers hiring new head coach Mike McCarthy was their attempt to keep Rodgers in the building, there's still plenty of warnings that are being issued to the Steelers about Rodgers.

Recently, Ben Solak wrote an article on how the teams that need quarterbacks going into next season are in a bad situation. One of the comments that he makes involves the Steelers, should they end up re-signing Rodgers. However, Solak argues that there is a different avenue for the Steelers to make signing Rodgers work that makes for a very intriguing scenario.

"If the Steelers re-sign Aaron Rodgers to another one-year deal, God bless 'em," Solak wrote. "Rodgers' lack of mobility and diminishing arm talent is an enormous limiting factor on their offense. Only two quarterbacks (Justin Fields and Brady Cook) threw shorter passes than Rodgers in 2025, and Rodgers offered the Steelers nothing on extended plays: 39th of 45 quarterbacks by success rate on extended dropbacks. Hopefully a Rodgers return would come with an accompanying trade for a young passer who can compete in camp -- I think [Spencer] Rattler would learn a ton from Rodgers, in that Rattler has a style of play reminiscent of prime Rodgers -- but I'm not holding my breath on that."

The idea that the Steelers would also trade for backup quarterback Spencer Rattler is an intriguing option, especially if his primary reason for being there is to sit behind Rodgers and learn from him. The Steelers already have a capable option or two behind Rodgers, so bringing Rattler in would make for a quarterback room that could end up feeling particularly crowded. However, it's no shortage of the truth to know that Rodgers' play last season was not one that would inspire confidence in his ability to play at a high level for another season.

Rodgers had plenty of games throughout the 2025 NFL season that ended up costing the Steelers. His play, even at his best, was also not the level of play that would be able to inspire confidence in taking the offense to the next level come playoff time. Solak's comments about the Steelers bringing Rodgers back with Rattler behind him seems like another avenue for the Steelers to pivot off Rodgers if something were to happen during the season.

Steelers Should Trust The Quarterbacks They Already Have

Even if the Steelers decide that they want to bring back Rodgers, they shouldn't go after any other options beyond him. The Steelers have very capable quarterbacks on the roster already, with one being a proven, dependable backup option. The idea of bringing in additional pieces, like Rattler, is something the Steelers could end up regretting, especially if they end up giving up too much draft capital.

What did you think about Solak's idea to acquire Rattler if Rodgers comes back? Let us know in the comments below.

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