Steelers Painted In Bad Light As Players Left In Dark About QB Situation

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been scrutinized in the media a decent amount over the last couple of months as the team has seemingly been waiting for Aaron Rodgers to sign with the organization. He eventually did on Friday, but the franchise was taking a bit of a risk waiting on him for nearly three months. Had he not signed, the organization would have been in trouble, and it likely would have had to start Mason Rudolph during the 2025 season. Thankfully, the Steelers were able to avoid that scenario, but the players were trying to figure out what was going on all offseason long.

Rodgers is one of the more unique players in the NFL, and he likes to keep his circle tight. This made it difficult for anyone to find out anything about what his intentions were during the 2025 offseason. For months, it seemed like he was going to sign with Pittsburgh, but the time never came. Steelers insider Mike DeFabo recently went on Sirius XM's The End Zone with Todd Haley, and he shared an interesting story that shows how players in Pittsburgh felt while this scenario was playing out throughout the 2025 offseason.

"Definitely players throughout this process that grew frustrated with it," DeFabo said. "Walking through the team's facility various times, there'd be skill position players working out and they'd come up to me and be like, 'Mike, do you know anything? Do you know what's going on? Do you know when Aaron Rodgers is going to sign?' I'm like, 'Guys, I know about as much as you do.'"

Players grew frustrated as the offseason went along, as many just wanted Rodgers to sign so the distraction could be over with. The organization did not clue players in at all on what was going on, which made some guys frustrated as they were forced to approach members of the media to find out what franchise was doing.

In the end, everything worked out for the Steelers. Rodgers signed, and the organization does not have to worry about trying to acquire another quarterback. However, it would have been nice to see the franchise handle the situation with the players on the roster a little better. Rodgers visited the facility nearly three months ago, and there is no doubt that the decision-makers in Pittsburgh had a decent idea of whether or not Rodgers would be signing a deal with the Steelers. 

Players should not have to try and get answers from the media when it comes to finding out whether or not a player will be on the roster. There was some risk in telling everyone what Rodgers planned to do, but it is the franchise's own fault for putting itself in that situation in the first place. 

Steelers Players Are Optimistic Now That Rodgers Has Signed In Pittsburgh

Rodgers is arguably the best quarterback that the Steelers have had since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. His mind is sharp, and his play improved throughout the 2024 season as he bounced back from the Achilles injury he suffered in 2023. The veteran managed to toss 28 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions during what was considered a rocky season for him in 2024, and Pittsburgh would certainly take that production.

The veteran's play at the beginning of the year with the New York Jets wasn't that great as he came back from injury, but he should be able to skip over that phase of "shaking the rust off" with Pittsburgh. Players believe in Rodgers, and wide receiver Robert Woods even believes Pittsburgh signing Rodgers makes the team a Super Bowl contender.