On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers formally agreed to phrases with Aaron Rodgers for the 2025 season. For this 12 months, Rodgers is definitely an enchancment over different choices that the Steelers at present have on the place. Nonetheless, after the season ends, Pittsburgh will probably be left in a well-recognized spot, in search of a solution on the place but once more.
Dan Patrick thinks Rodgers is an improve, however he doesn’t imagine the Steelers have a plan for the long run.
“Is he an improve? Sure. How a lot of an improve?” Patrick requested on his Dan Patrick Present on Friday. “And actually, this simply type of prolongs your quarterback scenario. This doesn’t clear up it. That is one 12 months… It simply kicks the can down the highway. You didn’t actually deal with the quarterback scenario, larger image.”
Opinions are all over relating to Rodgers and the Steelers, and Patrick’s isn’t a brand new one. For the 2025 season, Patrick does admit that Rodgers is an improve, albeit not a big one. When attempting to foretell how this 12 months may go for the Steelers, there are a ton of variables.
Initially, what model of Aaron Rodgers will the Steelers get? For the primary half of final season, Rodgers seemed stiff whereas recovering from his Achilles harm. Because the 12 months went on, although, he seemed a lot better, though the Jets have been solely in a position to win 5 video games. For what it’s value, the Steelers appear inspired with Rodgers’ present health, so there’s purpose to imagine his 2025 season may resemble the spectacular back-half of his 2024 marketing campaign greater than the rest.
Whereas the quarterback is necessary, it takes extra than simply that to win soccer video games. If Rodgers performs higher than Russell Wilson did down the stretch final 12 months, the Steelers could be in higher form and will even contend for the division. Nonetheless, there have been loads of different points, except for Wilson, that haunted the Steelers throughout that five-game slide. If the protection performs poorly once more to finish the 12 months, Rodgers’ efficiency won’t even matter.
Nonetheless, the Steelers really feel like a greater group than they have been on Wednesday. But, they don’t really feel like Tremendous Bowl contenders, both.
It’s honest to marvel concerning the Steelers’ long-term plan on the place. In any case, this will probably be one more offseason wherein the Steelers are in search of a brand new quarterback. With that stated, subsequent offseason appears to be like just a little extra encouraging when it comes to discovering a quarterback by means of the draft. The 2026 QB class is shaping as much as be far more promising than 2025’s. And the Steelers have a boatload of picks to work with subsequent April.
Aaron Rodgers is barely a one-year reply, so Patrick isn’t unsuitable to say the Steelers are prolonging their concern. Steelers followers would in all probability really feel higher if the group acquired a quarterback extra promising in the direction of the long run. Nonetheless, Rodgers nonetheless does enhance the group this 12 months. And if there’s any offseason for the Steelers to have a shot to land their quarterback of the long run, it might be subsequent 12 months. All issues thought of, there are worse conditions to be in.