The Steelers’ courtship of Aaron Rodgers has been long and well-documented. It’s been thought for months that the future Hall of Famer will eventually land in Pittsburgh. On April 1, Steelers’ President Art Rooney addressed the rumors, saying the organization will wait “not forever, but a little while longer.”

Rooney reiterated the same thing today (May 22), telling ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, “A little while longer. I’ll say the same thing.”

With all of the uncertainty, it’s time for the Steelers to seriously consider moving on from trying to sign Rodgers.

The Steelers Need a Long-Term Answer

Rodgers will turn 42 in December and is at best a stopgap for a team that has lived in quarterback purgatory since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement following the 2021 season. The Steelers did attempt to address the issue by selecting Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 draft. However, it became clear after two seasons that Pickett was not the answer, and he was shipped off to Philadelphia. Mitch Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson have all taken turns, with pedestrian results at best.

By not signing Rodgers, the Steelers would go into the season with Rudolph, 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard, and Skylar Thompson in the quarterback room. The consensus is that it would not go well and likely lead to Mike Tomlin’s first losing season as a head coach. That would set up the Steelers, who already have a ton of 2026 draft capital (they are projected to have 12 picks, including compensatory selections), to land that long-term answer in what is considered to be an above-average QB class.

aaron rodgers steelers

Texas QB Arch Manning leads a group (if he comes out) that also includes Penn State’s Drew Allar, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, and UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava. They are all potentially top 15 talents in the 2026 class and are better than anyone in the 2025 class not named Cam Ward. With the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh, that would be a big splash.

Mason Rudolph Would Be a Serviceable QB1

This makes a ton of sense for the Steelers. Rudolph spent the first five seasons of his career in Pittsburgh before leaving for Tennessee in free agency in 2024. The last image Steelers fans have of Rudolph is him leading the team to a 3-0 finish in 2023 against the Bengals, Seahawks, and Ravens to make the playoffs. In that span, he threw for 716 yards with a 3-0 touchdown touchdown-to-interception ratio. He followed that up by completing 22-of-29 passes for 229 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception in a 31-17 Wild Card loss to the Bills.

Rudolph is just good enough to keep the Steelers somewhat competitive, appeasing the fan base, but likely not good enough to lead them to the playoffs. The same can’t be said about Rodgers. Rudolph is the ideal bridge QB, and will cost a lot less than Rodgers.

Giving Will Howard A Look

Tom Brady aside, teams generally don’t take quarterbacks in the sixth round to be a starter. That being said, the Steelers did invest a draft pick in him, he helped lead Ohio State to a national championship, and he has good size and intangibles. He also has the support of Roethlisberger, with the QB who ranks fifth all-time in passing yards, and has been expressing criticism at Rodgers for dragging out a decision.

Is Howard a guy who is the Steelers’ future franchise quarterback? Not likely. This team isn’t a Super Bowl contender in 2025, and it wouldn’t hurt to give him a look to see if there’s anything there, should he earn the opportunity.

End Of My Rodgers Rant

Rodgers won’t change the trajectory of the Steelers’ organization in the short or long term. This is a team that needs a complete reboot at QB.

In Rudolph, they have a guy who can bridge them from 2025 to 2026 when they will have the opportunity to draft their franchise QB. Howard also presents an intriguing young project that is worth looking at. The Steelers don’t need Rodgers, and Rodgers doesn’t need them. It’s time to move on.