Aaron Rodgers is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, having won four MVP awards and led his team to a Super Bowl win in 2011. However, as he enters the twilight of his career, he is no longer the explosive player he once was and has settled into a more game-manager role on offense.
Rodgers is expected by many to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers as their starting quarterback, but, as has become a trend in recent years, he is taking his time making a decision, and it’s unclear whether he will do so before the NFL Draft.
Benjamin Solak Believes Steelers Need to Replace Aaron Rodgers
The Steelers have been looking to find a long-term answer at the quarterback position since two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 NFL season. Pittsburgh tried to draft Roethlisberger’s replacement when they selected Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but it did not work out.
Since then, Pittsburgh has tried the veteran route with Russell Wilson and Rodgers and has had younger players such as Mason Rudolph and Justin Fields start games.
While the team has remained competitive regardless of who is under center, going 39-29, and making the postseason in three of the last four seasons, things have stalled once they have made the postseason. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 NFL playoffs, despite remaining in the picture, and with a new head coach in place, are hoping to change that in 2026.
“I would argue they need a starting quarterback for 2026, independent of if Aaron Rodgers returns or not,” said NFL analyst Benjamin Solak. “He has become scared of pushing the football down the field and holding onto the football… In an NFL that increasingly values explosives, this is untenable. You cannot build a passing offense around Rodgers that wins in modern ways.”
Rodgers ranked as the No. 29 quarterback in PFSN’s Quarterback Impact Metric (QBi) in 2025, completing 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He led the team to a 10-6 record in 16 starts and an AFC North Division Title, but, as in previous years, the team was one-and-done in the postseason.
Aaron Rodgers was very, very bad last season pic.twitter.com/44OEzP8mJ1
— Benjamin Solak (@BenjaminSolak) April 21, 2026
While Rodgers’ numbers look pretty strong on the surface, Solak points out that more context is needed, which helps explain why he ranked so low in QBi.
In seasons where Rodgers played in at least half of the games, 2025 ranked as his worst yards-per-completion (10.2) and also the lowest yards-per-attempt (6.7) of his career. In fact, a running back, Kenneth Gainwell, led the team in receptions in 2025, with 73, and turned those into only 486 yards.
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While much of the NFL has turned towards getting the ball into talented players in space, the less a team attempts to throw a ball down the field, the less a defense has to worry about it. Pittsburgh’s offense became stagnant for long stretches of games due to a lack of downfield plays and the predictability of its play types.
Solak mentioned Ty Simpson as an early-round draft candidate, as well as Garrett Nussmeier, Carson Beck, and Drew Allar, as middle-round developmental players at quarterback for the Steelers.
“Rodgers in 2026 means the Steelers are unserious on offense yet again,” Solak added.
The Steelers don’t appear likely to select Simpson, as they didn’t hold a Top 30 visit with him, but they did meet with several quarterbacks in this year’s draft. Allar and Beck, along with Taylen Green and Cole Payton, were the quarterbacks the team met with, which historically suggests they may be more likely to select one of those four.
Whether Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh or not remains to be seen. Regardless, the Steelers will be a team to watch during the draft, as they look to find the long-term answer at the quarterback position.
There are still plenty of moving parts for the team at the most important position as they await Rodgers’ decision, consider potential long-term answers in the 2026 and 2027 draft classes, and evaluate second-year quarterback Will Howard’s future.
