Just like last offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have backed themselves into a corner with quarterback Aaron Rodgers. While it’s likely he will eventually sign with Pittsburgh, experts around the league aren’t sure it’s the right move for the Steelers’ future after they drafted quarterback Drew Allar in the third round.
Nick Wright Condemns Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers Plan
Speaking on Fox Sports’ “First Things First,” analyst Nick Wright said, “Because he [Rodgers] is better than Drew Allar, they are so much less likely to get the franchise quarterback next year. They are so much more likely to continue to be on this treadmill of mediocrity.”
Few can disagree with Wright’s points. Despite Rodgers no longer being an elite quarterback, bringing him back significantly raises the floor this year, perhaps too much to get a high draft pick and fully rebuild, compared to potentially starting an underprepared Allar.
While Rodgers didn’t have an excellent season in 2025, he did enough to lead the Steelers to an AFC North division title with a 10-7 record, with each of the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Cleveland Browns finishing below .500, respectively.
He’s noticeably lost his fastball and gets rid of the ball quicker than ever, but he’s still more than capable of running an offense and making a vintage Rodgers’ “wow” play two to three times a game.
Throwing for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns with just seven interceptions, he finished 2025 with an impact score of 71.4 according to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, ranking 29th at his position in the league.
Rodgers’ 2025 resume included sweeping their rival Baltimore Ravens, upsetting the Detroit Lions on the road, and getting a four-touchdown revenge win against the New York Jets in the season opener.
While Rodgers had bright spots, it’s clear that age is starting to affect him. He’s one of, if not the least mobile, quarterback in the game, and his accuracy was spotty at times when it never had been in his career.
Wright continued, “And now, Lamar is in a division where it’s like I got one other quarterback that matters in Burrow, and the Browns are nowhere close to having a quarterback that matters, and the Steelers are in denial about how much a quarterback matters.”
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Even still, Rodgers projects to be a middle-tier starting signal-caller assuming he returns in 2026, potentially preventing the Steelers from getting a high enough pick to use on a real franchise quarterback.
There is a chance that Allar or Will Howard will develop enough under Rodgers to take over the starting job eventually, but that remains to be seen.
