I’ve arrived at a new reality this Sunday morning. It’s not that I’ve ever cheered for one second against my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers or even the guy that plays quarterback for them. It’s that I need to fully embrace the quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, because this is his final season… Apparently.
Michael Silver of The Athletic, is encouraging all of us this week to “just enjoy Rodgers’ final ride.” The term ‘enjoy’ is an interesting choice. At times last year there were indeed moments of enjoyment from Rodgers but there were an equal amount “what the f*** are we doing?” moments as well. Silver is an excellent writer and he weaves moments of greatness like John Elway and Jerome Bettis riding off on top with moments of anything but. In fact he cites Rodgers’ very last pass from last season which was a pick-six that capped the Texans’ thrashing of the Steelers in the AFC Wild-Card game.
Understanding Our Fan Base
While Silver is a long-time NFL writer, most of his connections are to the West Coast. He has long written about the Raiders and 49ers while mixing in some pieces about other aspects of the league. Where I believe Silver is off the mark is the idea that Steeler Nation should just set our feelings aside and ride or die with Rodgers’ final season (we do this regardless of the QB). Aaron Rodgers is not Ben Roethlisberger. Any thought that Rodgers will get the same type of home finale tribute that Big Ben received is preposterous. One was a lifelong Steeler and ‘one helmet’ guy while the other is a four-time MVP whose fame came in another place.
While there are certainly fans of the team bringing Rodgers back, there are many – like myself – who were ready to move on. This doesn’t mean we believed that Mason Rudolph or Will Howard or Drew Allar were the answer to this season. Most of us would willingly acknowledge that Rodgers’ presence probably adds three to four more victories. For me, it’s about the future.
If Rodgers can lead the Steelers to another division title AND a postseason victory then his return will have been worth it. That is a huge ask though in a conference loaded with good teams and even better quarterbacks. If Rodgers runs it back with the exact same outcome as 2025 or worse, then all the Steelers will have done is kicked the can down the road for another year. We will still not know who the quarterback is and all we will have done is gotten older without a clear vision.
As a lifelong fan, I’ll cheer for Rodgers with everything I have but that doesn’t mean I’m going to embrace or enjoy the ride. Steelers’ fans aren’t here for the tear-jerking moments unless those tears are celebrating wins. Rodgers’ farewell tour means very little to us and the only thing that can make us care is winning in the postseason.
