It’s the Rodgers Way

A year after Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, General Manager Omar Khan, and team owner Art Rooney spent months wooing quarterback Aaron Rodgers to come play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the same drama is now repeating itself with Mike McCarthy now the new head coach.

For many in Steelers Nation like me, we were hesitant last year to have Rodgers as our quarterback. But Mason Rudolph was not the answer, and the quarterback room was in a quandary. Rodgers dragged out the process to a painful and frustrating degree, and many fans were angered by the Steelers’ willingness to allow Rodgers to call his own shots and take his time in signing a contract.

Given Rodgers had a decent year in 2025 but once the playoffs rolled around it was the same old story for Tomlin and the Steelers. First game up and one and done. Six straight playoff losses including five straight first round exits. Rodgers played poorly against the Houston Texans and when the season concluded no one had a clue what the Steelers quarterback room would look like in 2026. 

Tomlin resigned much to the dismay of the players he coached and Mike McCarthy was hired which many did not agree with. But he is Pittsburgh born and raised and this was his dream job. To coach the team from his home city. He is a proven commodity and once coached Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl with Rodgers taking the snaps.

Some believe 2027 will be the year the Steelers find a franchise quarterback, but they may very well have one on their roster right now. Last year’s rookie quarterback drafted was Will Howard fresh off winning a national title at Ohio State. He suffered an injury prior to the season and never played. This year it is Drew Allar. A big kid from Penn State that because of some lackluster games with the Nittany Lions was overlooked by many. But he has a strong arm and plenty of potential.

As everyone knows Mike McCarthy is a quarterback guru of sorts. A reputation McCarthy has of being able to groom young quarterbacks into successful NFL QBs. So, my contention is this…why bring Aaron Rodgers back again? I find this not just ridiculous that they are allowing Rodgers to control the situation once again but also highly embarrassing. This dude certainly thinks he is some sort of diva. It’s sickening. 

If last season proved anything it is that Rodgers is not just getting older quickly but as I’ve heard so many times this past year, Bill Parcels once saying, “if you have one foot out the door you are retired.” He said something like that. So, if Aaron Rodgers really wanted to play football another season, he would have known that within a decent time frame at the close of the 2025 season. But here he is again dragging his feet and absolutely PLAYING the Steelers and making McCarthy, Khan, and Rooney look like fools.

Here is one big reason I think this is not just a mistake but a travesty in signing him again. What it does is makes Howard and Allar sit around for an entire season while Rodgers takes the snaps. That is a waste of their time, their growth, and the ability to see what either can bring to the table. It’s an absolute joke. Even if Rodgers has some game left in him, he doesn’t have the hunger or the athleticism of either of the two young men he will be counted on to mentor.

Given that, does Rodgers event want to be a mentor? His ego is bigger than the city of Pittsburgh and he is so cocky and arrogant I can see him not serving as a good role model to either Howard or Allar. We as fans obviously have no control over decisions with the Steelers team, so it becomes incredibly frustrating watching this fiasco take place for yet another year in a row. To make matters worse, Omar Khan said the negotiations would not drag on with Rodgers like they did in 2025. RIGHT.

The season ended in January and here we are in May with nothing from Aaron Rodgers. No commitment, no contract negotiations, and nothing said publicly. This is not helping his reputation or his personality. Most see him as an arrogant jerk. I’m one of those. The problem last year and now apparently this season is Mike Tomlin was so desperate to get over the playoff losing snide, he practically begged Rodgers to come play for him. I didn’t think Mike McCarthy would do that same thing but here he is pulling the same stupid act. The Steelers with Rooney and Khan are grasping at straws just to win a playoff game.

If I can speak for Steelers Nation, winning the playoff game is not as important as building for the future so we can get number seven in the next few years. That doesn’t begin with Aaron Rodgers. Come on man. Even if he returns to play one more season it’s only for one season. Most experts think even if he signs on for one more season the Steelers won’t be a Super Bowl contender. So, what’s the point of his return?

Now, the Steelers have improved the team dramatically with the addition of Michael Pittman Jr. and the drafting of Germie Bernard and a super returner in Kaden Wetjen. Max Iheanachor was drafted in the first round, and he has untapped skills that should bolster the offensive line. They also drafted one Gennings Dunker who might just be a larger version of Jon Kolb. A beast. The fact that Rico Dowdle is now a Steeler excites me. This offense has potential to be electric.

So, if Rodgers has any game left, he has absolute weapons more so than in 2025. But for me, what it boils down to is it worth putting all the chips on the table just to find out if the Steelers can get past the first round? Or, with Mike McCarthy and his quarterback developmental skills worth a try with Howard or Allar? It certainly won’t be Mason Rudolph who will lose his job if Rodgers comes back.

The rookie minicamp was held recently and reports said Allar wowed new coach McCarthy. So, if that’s the case and I’m Omar Khan or McCarthy, I tell Aaron Rodgers to stay home. Given that last sentence, Rodgers reportedly was in Pittsburgh the weekend of May 8th and local radio station 97.3 The Fan said he came to the ‘Burgh to sign a contract. In the end, NO ONE saw Rodgers anywhere, no negotiations took place, and we are nowhere closer to getting a decision from the aging quarterback than we were at the end of last season.

If Rodgers returns, will he get cheers or boos? Winning solves everything they say and while we are winning regular season games a true judgment on Rodgers won’t come until Pittsburgh wins a playoff game and that is if they can get to the post season again. Again, as a member of Steelers Nation my feeling is I’m willing to sacrifice a season to see what either Will Howard or Drew Allar brings to the table. Both have talent and if Mike McCarthy is the magician he is said to be he should be able to get some success out of either kid given all the talent now around the offense.

For now, we fans are forced to play the waiting game. Training camp is not too far off and team OTAs are on the near horizon. From the latest I heard was that May 18th is the new deadline for Rodgers set by McCarthy and Kahn. I’ll believe that when I see it.