“We want volunteers, not hostages.” -Mike Tomlin
It wasn’t that long ago that Pittsburgh Steelers’ Head Coach Mike Tomlin said this. At the time, it was in regard to Outside Linebacker Melvin Ingram (he also used it with Le’Veon Bell) who was not happy with his playing time. At the very least, Ingram actually saw the field for the Steelers. The only time Aaron Rodgers has seen the Acrisure Stadium sod was as a member of the New York Jets and Green Bay Packers.
Yet, several days into the new league year and it feels like Aaron Rodgers is the one holding the Steelers hostage.
To put this into layman’s terms, Rodgers is attempting to raise his price by getting the Steelers and potentially the Minnesota Vikings to bid against each other. While the New York Giants are reportedly “out” on Rodgers, they haven’t signed Russell Wilson either.
In all honesty, I don’t blame Rodgers at all. He’s doing what any top athlete at the end of his career should be doing – seeking the most money. NFL careers are short. You make every dime you can before it all comes to an end and I’m sure Rodgers realizes that he’s much closer to the end than the beginning.
The blame, if you want to call it that, is with Omar Khan and the Steelers. Their lack of a succession plan for Ben Roethlisberger, the Kenny Pickett selection and ultimately the unfortunate relationship between Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith has left them in this place. Bringing back Mason Rudolph was a smart move. At the very least you have a guy that has starting experience and has, at times, played well.
If he ends up being the QB on opening day however then this failure will be complete. And that’s not a knock on Rudolph as much as it is a knock on Khan and company for not getting this addressed sooner.
From everything I’ve gathered, Tomlin is the one who fancies Rodgers the most and that’s no surprise. From their flirtations during games in recent years to Tomlin’s penchant for veteran players, it all makes sense. While Tomlin pines for his guy, the very same guy is in the captain’s chair. He’s dictating everything about these negotiations and the ‘QB-desperate’ Steelers are left waiting.
And I wouldn’t bother calling in a negotiator because at this point Rodgers holds all of the cards.
