The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly remain interested in Aaron Rodgers, with signs pointing toward eventually signing him. Despite missing OTAs, where Mason Rudolph is currently taking first-team reps, Rodgers still appears to be in their plans. While waiting until after the draft wasn’t a major concern, at a certain point, this prolonged delay could become a net negative. That moment might be arriving now.
The Impact on Young Players
It’s not uncommon for a veteran like T.J. Watt to skip OTAs. But for a quarterback joining a new team, skipping early practices can have serious consequences. OTAs give players extra time to ask questions, learn the system, and build trust, which is especially important for young talent.
Rodgers’ absence sends a message: those bonds don’t matter. That’s a problem when the roster includes developing players like Calvin Austin, Roman Wilson, Darnell Washington, Jaylen Warren, and Kaleb Johnson, plus even Pat Freiermuth hasn’t played with many veteran quarterbacks.
Rodgers has a history of freezing out receivers who don’t meet his expectations. That puts extra pressure on inexperienced players to quickly adapt to his preferences. Things like cadence, checks, and timing, without the benefit of early reps can cause the lack of development or simply lack of production from these players.
The entire premise of OTAs is to build chemistry now and give young players a chance to learn his style before training camp. Then, they are not wasting training camp work going through the basics. Instead, they’ll all be trying to sync up under pressure when the season’s already looming. As Mike Tomlin often says, they’ll be “jumping on a moving train.”
What’s the Real Upside?
What exactly is the best-case scenario for this version of Aaron Rodgers?
He last reached an NFC Championship in 2017. His most recent meaningful playoff performance came in 2021. In 2022, he was held without a touchdown and sacked five times in a lopsided playoff loss. Meanwhile, Jordan Love led the Packers to a playoff win in 2024.
Rodgers hasn’t statistically outperformed Zach Wilson since joining the Jets. And while he finished 2024 on a stronger note, he began the season slowly, rusty and out of sync with teammates, due in part to missing time leading into the year.
Age, Injury, and Decline
Rodgers is now 41, and he’s thrown for over 300 yards just once since 2022. Coming off an Achilles tear, the likelihood of another injury is far higher than the odds of a Super Bowl run. Yet, despite his age and the layoff, Rodgers is skipping practices while staying active on his media tour.
If Rodgers does get hurt again, the Steelers would be forced to pivot back to Mason Rudolph, who led OTAs and then got benched for a veteran QB the team never truly integrated. We’ve seen Mike Tomlin make that work before, but it usually ends in a blowout loss to a team with a more physically capable and cohesive quarterback.
What’s the Ceiling?
The Steelers are risking a lot: Rodgers’ missed practices could hinder the development of young offensive talent, all for what may amount to a nine-win season and a quick playoff exit. The downside? They endure poor quarterback play for 17 games, and Tomlin finally suffers his first losing season.
At this point, that might actually be the upside.
