Rodgers is best Band-Aid for Steelers

By Dale Lolley
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
The idea being pushed by some national media types that coach Mike Tomlin’s fate is now tied to Aaron Rodgers shows a complete lack of knowledge of the Steelers organization and its plan.
Like Mitch Trubisky and Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, Rodgers is a one-year Band-Aid on the Steelers’ quarterback situation. Nothing more, nothing less.
It’s why he was signed to a one-year deal.
After all, what future is there with a 41-year-old quarterback?
But that also doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right move to make given the circumstances.
Yes, the Steelers would have liked to have re-signed Fields. But they weren’t going to give him $30 million in guaranteed salary, nor should they have for a quarterback with his resume.
And the draft didn’t really offer any solutions, either.
The Steelers already settled for a far-from-can’t-miss prospect a few years ago in Kenny Pickett. We all saw how that worked out.
If you’re going to take a swing at a first-round quarterback, it should be at a guy with the potential to be a top-10 quarterback. That was never Pickett’s potential.
Considering they didn’t give up any draft capital to take him – other than the 20th pick in the 2022 draft – it wasn’t a terrible gamble. But the team also learned a lesson. Go big or go home when it comes to trying to find a franchise quarterback.
And that is what the Steelers have positioned themselves to do in 2026 by stockpiling draft capital in the form of compensatory picks and the trade of George Pickens.
Currently, the Steelers are projected to have 12 picks in the 2026 draft, including three third-round selections and two each in the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds.
Now, those picks by themselves won’t be enough to allow Pittsburgh to move up to get the quarterback it desires. But it lessens the pain of dealing, say, next year’s first and a 2027 first-round pick knowing you have all of those additional picks.
That is the plan.
In the meantime, the Steelers are intent on competing as well as they can in 2025, hence the signing of Rodgers. And he figures to give them their best play at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
The idea for the Steelers, as it always happens to be, is to win as much as possible while also trying to rebuild – in this case, at quarterback.
It’s a tough needle to thread, but it beats the heck out of just “tanking” on a season in an attempt to get a quarterback.
The problem with “tanking,” is that nothing is guaranteed.
The top-overall pick in last year’s draft changed hands three times in the final month of the regular season. And 10 teams won five or fewer games last season.
Does anyone really believe the Steelers could be less than a five-win team? They haven’t won that few games in a season since 1988.
So, why not try to win while still setting yourself up for the potential to get a franchise quarterback?
• The Steelers’ signing of safety DeShon Elliott to a two-year contract extension earlier this week was a shrewd move.
Elliott was really good last season, his first with Pittsburgh, and brings an edge to the defense from the strong safety position that it hasn’t had in some time.
The two-year, $12.5-million extension is a bargain for a player of Elliott’s talents.
• The Pirates are 8-8 in Paul Skenes’ 16 starts this season. That is borderline criminal for a pitcher who has allowed 63 hits in 102 innings while posting a 1.85 ERA.
If the hitting doesn’t let Skenes down, which has been the more common theme, the bullpen has done so.
• Chartiers Valley graduate T.J. McConnell became the first bench player with 60 or more points, 25 or more assists and 15 or more rebounds in an NBA Finals.
The Indiana Pacers reserve point guard also has 14 steals in six games against Oklahoma City.
He’s not the biggest player on the floor by far. He’s not the best. But he brings a grit that has helped the underdog Pacers take this series to Game 7.
It’s not a surprise at all for those who played against McConnell in the WPIAL. He’s always been that guy.
Dale Lolley hosts The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio and writes a Sunday column for the Observer-Reporter.