The Pittsburgh Steelers had an extremely interesting 2024 season. The organization had a record of 10-3 at a point, and the reality of winning the AFC North was well within reach. Unfortunately, a five-game losing streak, which included a playoff defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, completely derailed the campaign. Russell Wilson was not his best self down the stretch, and the offense sputtered, while the defense had no capability of stopping the rushing attack. Fans are hoping that a late-season stumble is avoided now that one of the best quarterbacks of all-time in Aaron Rodgers will officially be under center.
Down the stretch, there seemed to be something not quite right with the offense. Later on, it was reported that Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith did not want to give Wilson control of changing plays at the line of scrimmage. This kind of order would normally be looked at as highly unusual given Wilson's resume. If a rookie quarterback were running the show, it may have made sense, but this was rather surprising when it came to the surface.
Ben Roethlisberger was one of the best of his generation when it came to the two-minute drill and no-huddle offense. He was extremely creative and given a lot of leeway by the Steelers' offensive staff during his 18-year career. On a recent episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, the retiree has one of his former coordinators, Randy Fichtner, on the show. Sitting right next to him, Roethlisberger implied that coordinators, and maybe Smith, get ahead of themselves.
"I don't know this, I'm just saying it from my perspective of thought," Roethlisberger began. "Ego, we've talked about it on this show. Quarterbacks have egos. Coordinators have egos. There's no doubt about it. It's how can you temper those egos in terms of working together. Maybe, again, it doesn't mean this situation, I'm just saying it can happen. A coordinator has an ego and goes, 'No, I study. I know what's [going on]. When I call a play, you run it because I know what's best for this team.'"
There aren't many other retired quarterbacks that have as much experience and pedigree as Roethlisberger. While he doesn't directly say that ego could be a part of Smith's coaching style, it certainly could be. The two-time Super Bowl champion said earlier in the 2025 offseason that he was specifically told that Smith cut Wilson off a bit. It seems like the play-caller in Pittsburgh may have displayed some ego while running the offense during Wilson's lone year with the Steelers.
Wilson is a borderline Hall of Fame signal-caller, but Rodgers is, without a doubt, a first ballot type of player. That's why Roethlisberger's comments are so intriguing. If there is a bit of an ego that comes along with Smith, can he set that aside to allow one of the most creative quarterbacks in NFL history to take over if he needs to? This will be something to keep an eye on as the season gets underway.
Roethlisberger also mentioned that it's possible that some coordinators simply don't trust the quarterback. This could be understandable, but it seems very odd for a veteran under center to not have the full faith of his coaching staff.
No one will likely be able to confirm what Smith's intentions were when it came to disallowing Wilson from changing plays at the line of scrimmage, but if the same things end up coming out about Rodgers, fans will likely look directly towards the offensive coordinator for answers. The Steelers' offense needs to take a big step up in 2025, and letting Rodgers have some freedom could be a big part of that goal.
Steelers Can't Afford To Be A Bad Offensive Team In 2025
Overall, no one is expecting Pittsburgh to have the most dynamic offense in the AFC. It's also very well known that it won't be the best unit in the AFC North. Overall, however, it needs to take a big step forward. There has been a lot of turnover throughout the group, and the hope is that Rodgers gets to do what he does best. That may require Smith setting his ego to the side, and time will tell if that's something he is willing to do.
