The Steelers have to stop being held hostage by Aaron Rodgers’ ego

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 12: Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers walks off the field after losing to the Houston Texans in an NFL wild card playoff game at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images) | Getty Images As offseason programs begin around the NFL, the Pittsburgh Steelers still have no idea who their starting quarterback is. Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but Aaron Rodgers has been given free rein to be mercurial, explore his whims, and leave one of football’s proudest franchises in the lurch in the process — this despite being told explicitly that the team wants him .

This comes after news that Rodgers didn’t meet with the Steelers to discuss his future over the weekend . It was expected that the two sides would discuss the quarterback’s future, with Rodgers (hopefully) making his decision on Monday. That didn’t happen, and now the Steelers are forced to wait for an answer once more.

It’s a bizarre level of power they’ve afforded a player who hasn’t made them demonstrably better, and who could actively hurt the franchise by playing in 2026 by making the team good enough to prevent them landing a top pick, but not good enough to really make a run. It’s well past time for the Steelers to step up and get off this ride. They went through this entire dog and pony show with Rodgers last year, who waited until June 6 of last year to finally sign with the Steelers and announce he would be playing in the 2025 season.

The result was patent mediocrity, as Rodgers finished with his lowest touchdown total for a full season, his lowest total passing yards, and a career-low 6. 7 yards-per-attempt. Rodgers wasn’t terrible; he just wasn’t worth all the effort it took to get him in the building.