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Brooke Pryor
By disclosing that he would doubtless retire following the 2025 season throughout a Tuesday look on “The Pat McAfee Present,” Aaron Rodgers gave the Pittsburgh Steelers two presents: readability and time.
Every are luxuries the Steelers lacked the final two instances they have been led by an getting older, Tremendous Bowl-winning quarterback.
“I performed 20 fricking years. It has been a long term. I’ve loved it, and no higher place to complete than in one of many cornerstone franchises of the NFL with Mike Tomlin and an incredible group of management and nice guys within the metropolis that expects you to win,” Rodgers stated.
With Rodgers’ intentions said earlier than the season even begins, the Steelers have each alternative to make a strategic plan to safe the subsequent franchise quarterback, one which’s eluded them since Ben Roethlisberger retired in 2021.
Not solely do the Steelers have greater than a yr to proceed their homework on a 2026 quarterback class that would embrace Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, however they’re additionally well-positioned to maneuver up the draft board with a handful of compensatory picks from free agent departures. These components might result in the Steelers deciding on their subsequent franchise quarterback in entrance of a hometown crowd when Pittsburgh hosts the 2026 NFL draft in April.
They might additionally go one other route. Prime-tier quarterbacks do not typically hit free company, and 2026 is not an exception. Former first-round decide Daniel Jones, who signed a one-year deal in Indianapolis, is the very best obtainable free agent of the 2026 class to date. Different quarterbacks, although, might come obtainable in releases or trades. Anthony Richardson Sr., Indianapolis’ different quarterback and their former first-round decide, is competing with Jones for the beginning job. Whoever is available in second might be obtainable.
Buying and selling for a beginning quarterback is rarer today and costly, however not not possible. Earlier this offseason, Seattle pulled off a shock commerce that despatched starter Geno Smith to Las Vegas. The Steelers might first take a look at former first-round picks who have not performed as much as their anticipated potential. Arizona’s Kyler Murray may have two years and a membership possibility on his present contract after the 2025 season. His cap hits are important — $53.2 million and $43.5 million — however they might be massaged and restructured. Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence, who has one Professional Bowl berth since being drafted first total in 2021, signed a five-year, $275 million contract previous to the 2024 season, however he might be value an inquiry.
That is the perk of signing Rodgers — and of him asserting his intentions previous to the season — the Steelers do not must scramble and might take the time to assume strategically.
Pittsburgh did not have the identical type of luxurious of their transition from Roethlisberger.
Two years faraway from his season-ending elbow harm and ensuing surgical procedure, Roethlisberger agreed to a brand new, one-year contract previous to the 2021 season that decreased his wage and lowered his cap hit by greater than $15 million. In opting to restructure the ultimate yr of his deal moderately than lengthen him past 2021, the Steelers seemingly signaled that the 2021 season can be Roethlisberger’s final. However the quarterback did not state that clearly till January 2022.
Earlier than that, although, he flirted with retirement a handful of instances, together with after a 2016 AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots.
“I will take this offseason to guage, to think about all choices,” Roethlisberger, then 34, stated in January 2017.
Coach Mike Tomlin stated he took the retirement consideration “severely” on the time and that the group would “plan accordingly.”
Roethlisberger, as a substitute, continued to play and signed an extension in 2019. Within the two years after first considering retirement, he threw for 4,251 yards with 28 touchdowns to 14 interceptions with a 12-3 file in 2017 and led the league in passing (5,129 yards), move makes an attempt (452) and completions (675) and yards per sport (320.6).
He by no means gained one other playoff sport after the 2016 divisional win in opposition to Kansas Metropolis, and the Steelers have not gained a playoff sport since his retirement.
As an getting older Roethlisberger waffled after which resolved to return, the Steelers drafted two quarterbacks in his closing 5 seasons: Josh Dobbs with a 2017 fourth-round decide and Mason Rudolph within the third spherical a yr later. Roethlisberger, who advised the group he supposed to return for the 2018 season previous to the draft, was fast to voice his frustration over the Rudolph choice.
“I used to be shocked after they took a quarterback as a result of I assumed that perhaps within the third spherical, you understand you may get some actually good soccer gamers that may assist this group now,” Roethlisberger stated in a radio interview in 2018. “Nothing in opposition to Mason. … I simply do not know the way backing up or being a 3rd [string] — properly, who is aware of the place he will fall on the depth chart — helps us win now.”
The Steelers did not draft a quarterback with any of their 24 picks over the subsequent three drafts till deciding on Kenny Pickett with the No. 21 total decide in 2022, months after Roethlisberger formally retired. Pickett, the primary quarterback taken off the board in a weak class, struggled in two seasons and was finally traded to the Philadelphia Eagles previous to the 2024 season.
Extra lately, their 2024 experiment with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields created uncertainty on the place and made charting a long-term plan troublesome. Wilson’s two-year tenure in Denver ended with a launch, and he signed a one-year, vet-minimum deal in Pittsburgh in an effort to jumpstart his profession. Shortly after that, the Steelers acquired Fields in a commerce with Chicago on an expiring rookie deal. The Steelers thought they’d their quarterback of the longer term within the constructing. Both Wilson, who stated he felt like he discovered the fountain of youth upon signing in Pittsburgh, would play nearer to his Tremendous Bowl-winning kind, or Fields would emerge as the longer term.
Neither occurred.
Wilson, sidelined early on by a calf harm, began off scorching, however he and the group fell aside with an 0-5 shedding streak to finish the season. Fields went 4-2 in six begins however was changed as soon as Wilson was wholesome. The group’s prime precedence, common supervisor Omar Khan stated previous to free company, was signing both Wilson or Fields. However in accordance with league sources, the group did not actively pursue signing Wilson, making their prime precedence Fields.
Fields, although, opted to signal a two-year, $40 million take care of the Jets. Past prime total decide Cam Ward, the 2025 quarterback draft class was unheralded, and the market of free agent and tradeable quarterbacks was comparatively desolate.
As soon as once more, the Steelers have been within the lurch as a byproduct of a state of affairs they created. Rodgers, prepared to play at a cut price worth and obtainable with out spending important draft capital, was the group’s most suitable choice. And by expressing his intent to retire earlier than he even steps on the sector for coaching camp, he turned much more precious — even when the season ends with out a playoff win or snaps Tomlin’s streak of non-losing seasons — as a result of he permits them to thoughtfully put together for the longer term.
