Why Steelers haven’t pursued a non-Aaron Rodgers QB originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers somehow have made sense as a pairing.
The late-career Rodgers fits the Steelers’ non-ambitious approach to the quarterback position.
For a storied franchise, the Steelers haven’t done much to make a marked QB improvement since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
Yes, Rodgers is a future Hall of Famer, and yes, he led Pittsburgh to the playoffs (barely) in 2025.
But still, the Steelers are just playing a waiting game on a 42-year old QB right now, rather than look to really make a leap at the most important position in sports.
MORE: Shilo Sanders under fire for telling female reporter to ‘make a sandwich’
What are the Steelers doing at QB?
ESPN’s Dan Graziano attributes Pittsburgh’s approach to not loving change.
“No team seems to enjoy its status quo as much as the Steelers do,” Graziano wrote in a new article on Tuesday. “Frankly, you can see why. They haven’t had a losing season since 2003. They’ve made the playoffs 17 times this century. No team has won more Super Bowls than the Steelers. They’re consistent contenders, year in and year out — there is almost never a game in which they don’t have something to play for.”
Right now, the Steelers do have two young QBs, but they were drafted in the sixth round last year (Will Howard) and the third round this year (Drew Allar).
They would only play if Rodgers didn’t return.
“For now, they’re once again willing to wait on a 42-year-old who hasn’t been a top-20 quarterback by QBR since 2021 because he’s competent enough to keep them afloat,” Graziano writes.
At some point, the Steelers will have to pursue someone better. It might not be until Rodgers retires, though.
