Steelers Get Blunt Warning From Skip Bayless On Aaron Rodgers' Inevitable Return

The Pittsburgh Steelers are going through the events of the NFL offseason, most recently having completed the 2026 NFL Draft. They held 12 overall picks, which they did not use in full, as they traded up in the second round to take the dynamic playmaking wide receiver Germie Bernard from the University of Alabama. The franchise also drafted another quarterback in the third round with the 76th overall pick in Drew Allar from the Penn State Nittany Lions. While the pick sent shockwaves around the league, the truth is the team is still awaiting a final decision from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

On Friday's edition of The Arena: Gridiron podcast, Skip Bayless gave his take on the entire situation surrounding Rodgers and the organization still awaiting his decision. Bayless is known for his controversial hot takes over the years, but his comments revealed a jaw-dropping truth surrounding the relationship with Rodgers. Bayless does believe that Rodgers will return, as many do, but he also dropped some alarming numbers on his stance about the potential return.

"I do think he will be the starting quarterback for the Steelers, and I do think it will, yet again, be a mistake," Bayless said. "He's washed. They did get to a home playoff game and they lost it 30-6 and he had a QBR of 15. He threw for a grand total of 146 yards. I'm glad you brought up Will Howard, I've always liked Will Howard. He won the National Championship."

While the comments made by Bayless of Rodgers being washed may not be entirely accurate, his recent playoff performance was underwhelming. Rodgers, a four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl Champion, is also 42 years old. As Bayless alluded to, the team also has Will Howard, who new head coach Mike McCarthy has mentioned that he is a fan of. 

McCarthy is often referred to as a quarterback guru, much of which can be credited to his storied career of coaching quarterbacks. Along with Rodgers, McCarthy has also coached Brett Favre and Joe Montana during his lengthy coaching career. While the two have a history together, McCarthy's comments on Howard as well as the franchise selecting Allar shows they do want to identify a long-term answer at quarterback.

The Black and Gold anticipated having an answer from Rodgers by now, but here they are, still waiting to see what the move will be for the veteran signal-caller. They also now hold Howard, who did not see playing time in 2025 due to injury, and the rookie in Allar. While the starter would inevitably be Rodgers assuming he returns, this is potentially hindering the progress of the organization as a whole.

Steelers Are Seemingly Being Handcuffed By Rodgers Yet Again

While the Steelers have two young quarterbacks that need some work, Rodgers' return would not allow them to showcase what they may be able to do at the NFL level. The other side of the situation is that they could sit behind Rodgers for a year and learn from a four-time MVP.

The biggest knock on Howard was that he was taken in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, making it apparent that other teams did not want to give him a chance. Pittsburgh did by selecting him and given McCarthy's feelings about having him, a chance at being the franchise quarterback seems to be on the table long-term. Allar was taken higher, but the knock on his game is that he has all the physical tools, but may be lacking mentally due to his struggles to win big games at Penn State.

While both of the younger quarterbacks do have potential, Pittsburgh waiting on Rodgers puts those two young guys in a tough spot. Rodgers mentoring them for a year certainly would not hurt their development. However, assuming one of them is the starter in 2027, it could set the Black and Gold back a year by allowing Rodgers to return in 2026 rather than let the battle play out between the young guys in the upcoming year.

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