At some point, you have to take your lumps. Every professional franchise goes through it, some worse than others. By setting aside away 50 years of tradition, the Pittsburgh Steelers chose to go with a veteran coach in Mike McCarthy following the resignation of Mike Tomlin. That move in and of itself signaled a desire to “compete” rather than to “rebuild.” As talk of Aaron Rodgers returning for a second season grows, the decision to bring him back cements Art Rooney II’s belief that “rebuilding” isn’t the way forward. Personally, I think all it does is kick the can further down the road.
By this point, it feels like there isn’t much left of the can to kick. Staying competitive in the AFC has done nothing for the organization other than to say, “At least we didn’t finish under .500.” It hasn’t brought any postseason success and it hasn’t brought a quarterback of the future either. Bringing Aaron Rodgers back for another season may seem like the team’s best option but the depends on what you mean by ‘best option?’
There are very few out there that believe that Mason Rudolph or Will Howard are the future. In Rudolph, the organization knows exactly what it has. He’s a guy capable of spot-starting and filling in but he’s just not going to offer enough to make you a consistent winner. Howard is a complete unknown. Any opportunity he had to prove himself was lost in Training Camp to an injury which cost him the entire season.
The comments about Howard have largely been positive. He commands the huddle well, he understands the offense (he’ll be learning a new one) and he recognizes his limitations. Still, we must keep in mind that he was a sixth-round selection for a reason. It would be fantastic to see him evolve into another Tom Brady but the chances of that are as slim as me and Selma Hayek dating. In other words, it’s not impossible, but it’s extremely unlikely.
This brings us back to Rodgers. Is his reunion with Mike McCarthy going to suddenly turn back the clock too? If that’s the case then sign me up! If I’ve learned anything in my advancing age it’s that Father Time remains undefeated. Rodgers is who he is. The arm talent is still there but the mobility and willingness to run is largely gone. Reports from the season have suggested that he was a terrific teammate and good leader. He was someone the team liked having around despite all of the reports to the contrary prior to his arrival.
In my mind though, this isn’t Brett Favre playing out his days to hand the reins over to Rodgers. That would mean we are comparing Howard to Rodgers and that’s not fair to either guy. So therefore, rip off the bandage and ride with some youth. The Steelers might go 5-12 or 6-11 but I’ve lived through worse in Pittsburgh. Those finishes by the way would see the Steelers anywhere from 6th to 10th in the NFL Draft. Considering the bevy of talented QBs coming out in 2027, I’m good with that. I realize we thought the same thing about this year’s draft class too but trust me, next year will be different.
Rodgers proved in 2025 that he was more than capable of being the quarterback of the Steelers but the result was ultimately the same we had seen in the previous decade. If I can go with youth, learn some lessons and improve my draft position then I’m doing it. That appears however to not be the case. Art Rooney II wants to run it back with Rodgers and remain competitive. That’s further proof that we are headed for another round of mediocrity which gets us nowhere. I would love to be wrong but I’ve seen this movie before.
