The Pittsburgh Steelers are going all-in on the 2025 season, as they linked up with Aaron Rodgers for what will in all likelihood be the future Hall of Fame quarterback's final season. After this season, the Steelers are back to their uncertain future under center.
Rather than taking a passive approach, Steelers legend Jerome Bettis advocated for an often conservative organization to keep up their cavalier ways, paying more than they normally would to secure a player who can guide this team for years to come.
In an exclusive interview with FanSided, Bettis said that he believes the first order of business Pittsburgh must accomplish when Rodgers leaves is finding a replacement, even advocating for paying way above market to manipulate the NFL Draft and land their next star.
"I do think they need to invest in a franchise quarterback," Bettis said. "I think they wanted to, but I think ultimately what they have to do is invest resources to go and get that guy in the draft. That means maybe packaging more than just a first round...you've got to commit to going up and getting a quarterback...if you don't have a young quarterback, you don't have a future"
Jerome Bettis hopes Steelers trade up for QB to replace Aaron Rodgers
The Steelers are likely preparing for no more than one season with Rodgers at the helm. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard both profiles as backups, not future starters.
Pittsburgh is in luck, as 2026 is widely regarded as an incredibly deep quarterback class. Texas' Arch Manning is at the top, but there are big names like Penn State's Drew Allar, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, and LSU's Garrett Nussmeier in contention for a top pick.
If Rodgers ends up taking the Steelers into the playoffs, names like Clemson's Cade Klubnik and Indiana's Fernando Mendoza could be on Mike Tomlin's radar. The Steelers have had the good fortune of having two drafted quarterbacks in Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger, combining for 30 years of consistency between them.
Pittsburgh needs to eventually prepare for a rebuild on the fly when Rodgers is gone, and Bettis knows that there is no price that is too steep to pay for a young quarterback that can help them keep pace with the rest of the stars in the competitive AFC.
