Insider: This Is The Pittsburgh Steelers Not The New York Jets; Aaron Rodgers Won't Be An Issue

The Pittsburgh Steelers finally answered the fan base's wishes and agreed to a deal with a starting-caliber quarterback on Thursday afternoon. It was finally reported that four-time league MVP Aaron Rodgers finally made a decision and he will be flying to Pittsburgh to sign with the Steelers ahead of the team's mandatory minicamp. He will be the team's starting quarterback for the 2025 season, after a couple months of Mason Rudolph being penciled in as the starter. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out, especially after Rodgers' disastrous two seasons with the New York Jets.

Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, but he is entering what will probably be the final season of his career and he has regressed a bit. His play was less than spectacular in 2024 as he bounced back from an Achilles injury in 2023, but his play improved slightly as the season went along. 

It is hard to figure out what exactly the ceiling of the Steelers is for the 2025 season, and former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel expressed a ton of concern during Thursday's episode of Scoop City. He thought there might be some dysfunction in Pittsburgh, but insider Dianna Russini has faith the situation will work out.

"I feel like you're throwing up red flags," Russini said. "I don't think you think this is a horrible mistake, I understand your trepidation, right. This is also a quarterback that we've done a lot of reporting on with the New York Jets. Look, he did some really good things for that locker room, some good things for that organization. But most of it, you pretty much know that that entire experiment with Aaron Rodgers in New York wasn't great. This isn't the New York Jets, this is the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a very strong head coach, who has dealt with the craziest and wildest of players."

Russini went on to give Head Coach Mike Tomlin a ton of credit for the players he has dealt with in the past, which she believes makes this pairing a good one. Tomlin and Rodgers have always had respect for one another, especially since Rodgers took down Pittsburgh for his lone Super Bowl victory back in 2011.

If any head coach is prepared to bring in a polarizing figure like Rodgers to his locker room, it is Tomlin. Pittsburgh may have lost its leading rusher and receiver from the 2024 season, but the offense is arguably in a better spot now than it was during the 2024 offseason. The organization added DK Metcalf, while also trading away George Pickens who was a distraction at times. 

Pittsburgh also has Jaylen Warren and a promising rookie in Kaleb Johnson at running back. The tools are there to have a successful offense, or at least an offense that is better than what has been seen in recent years from the Steelers. This situation could work out, but it is understandable why some are quick to point out the red flags of the Steelers signing Rodgers.

Steelers Get More Than A Quarterback In Aaron Rodgers

Pittsburgh made a lot of fans happy by drafting Will Howard in the sixth-round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As a sixth-round pick, the expectations are fairly low for the young quarterback. However, he has a winning pedigree and the physical makeup and mobility of the modern-day NFL quarterback. Rodgers has embraced the mentor role before with Zach Wilson when the two were with the Jets in 2023, and he could do that again with Howard.

Sitting behind Rodgers and learning from the four-time MVP can only benefit Howard, and the rookie has shown a strong desire to learn and get better. By learning from Rodgers, Howard could have a strong chance to play meaningful snaps for Pittsburgh in 2026. 

What do you think of Russini's assessment of Pittsburgh signing Rodgers? Let us know in the comments below!

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