Pittsburgh Steelers fans are seemingly split on the return of Aaron Rodgers in 2026, but it’s a good thing at the end of the day. The argument that he doesn’t make them a Super Bowl contender is pointless. There wasn’t a quarterback available this offseason that would have turned the Steelers into that. Based on their offseason full of free agent upgrades, Rodgers was the best option they had to try and make noise in the AFC.
Rodgers last pass last season was a pick-six to Calen Bullock that sealed the Steelers season. He couldn’t go out like that. Pittsburgh might not win the Super Bowl, but going out on that pick-six wouldn’t be right for a legend of his stature. This year’s Steelers team is more equipped to win a playoff game than last season. The season is still likely to end in crushing defeat, but that pick six couldn’t be our lasting memory of the greatest passer in league history.
Rodgers is extremely familiar with the offense that Mike McCarthy wants to run. They spent 13 years together in Green Bay and made magic. Despite his physical limitations, Rodgers will be able to run McCarthy’s offense in his sleep. He’s on record saying that he loves the west coast offense. McCarthy is a believer in building an offense that revolves around the quarterbacks skill set. There is no quarterback that he is more familiar with than Rodgers, and he excels at the line of scrimmage.
Tossing everything else to the side, this could be the biggest benefit of Rodgers return. Pittsburgh fans aren’t ready to hear it, but Will Howard and Drew Allar aren’t ready to start games in the NFL yet. Howard has already spent one year under Rodgers’ wing. Allar getting a full season in the McCarthy lab with Rodgers tutelage will be huge for his development. They are trying to make Allar the franchise guy, and Rodgers can be a catalyst for that.
Let’s get delusional. Of course the Steelers aren’t going to win the Super Bowl this year, but it’s fun to believe that they can. If they wanted any chance of coming close to those heights, they had to bring Rodgers back. Mason Rudolph isn’t the answer. Nobody that was available this offseason was, forcing them to turn to Rodgers. Crazier things have happened. Peyton Manning was a shell of himself when his Broncos defense carried him to a Super Bowl in his final year. Tom Brady won a Super Bowl at 43. It isn’t likely, but it’s possible.
Disagree? Join the Stadium Rant iPhone App open sports community and tell us.
While Rodgers doesn’t take Pittsburgh over the top in terms of being a contender, he does raise the floor dramatically. Without Rodgers, this team could’ve been staring at a five-win season. Some Steelers fans think they want that, but they don’t. They would cry about that, too, because this is a whiny fanbase. Nothing will ever be enough for them. Rodgers raises this team to at least a nine-win team, which will probably settle at 10-7 once again. Finishing with that record is fine, as long as they make noise in the playoffs.
Love or hate him, Rodgers was destined to come back and play for this team. It was nice to see the sparkle back in his eyes last year in Pittsburgh. He looked like he was having fun on the football field again, and the Steelers’ offense looked lethal at times. Not always, but sometimes. It’s up to McCarthy to raise the level in that department. He has his guy, and now it’s time to get to work. The Pittsburgh offseason is complete. Rodgers was the final piece of the puzzle.
If you love sports, download Stadium Rant from the Apple App Store and join one of the fastest-growing social sports communities. Be sure to follow us on socials too — you can find all our profiles on our Linktree.
