If we were in 2015 and the Pittsburgh Steelers were deciding between Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson to start under center, that'd be the best possible "problem" to have. Unfortunately, we're in 2025, and instead of the Steelers getting to choose between Rodgers and Wilson, they pretty much have to decide between those two quarterbacks. With Sam Darnold joining the Seattle Seahawks and Justin Fields agreeing to terms with the New York Jets, Rodgers and Wilson is as good as it gets right now, unfortunately.
Signing Rodgers or Wilson can work. I mean, the Steelers were leading the AFC North with Wilson for much of the 2024 campaign and made the playoffs with him starting a majority of their games under center. Rodgers, even while he's regressing, is more talented than Wilson, giving the Steelers an elevated ceiling. Pittsburgh also acquired DK Metcalf, giving the team's quarterback enough to work with to succeed on the offensive side of the ball.
While it can conceivably work, it feels like wishful thinking to expect much out of Rodgers or Wilson in 2025. Rodgers played poorly enough to the point where the New York Jets cut him, and Wilson was underwhelming enough to the point where the Steelers seemed to be prioritizing Fields over him in free agency. Rodgers will be 41 years old this season, and Wilson will be 36 years of age.
If the Steelers exit the NFL playoffs next season in a disappointing fashion or miss the playoffs entirely thanks to this quarterback experiment, these three members of the organization will wind up taking the fall.
3) Arthur Smith won't get a third opportunity to show he's the right offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh's offense did see some improvement this past season in Arthur Smith's first year as the team's offensive coordinator, but that isn't saying much. The Steelers ranked 16th in the NFL, averaging 22.4 points per game over the regular season, and 23rd in the NFL, averaging 319.4 yards of offense per game.
Some of that had to do with underwhelming quarterback play and a lack of weapons for the quarterback to target out of George Pickens, but the fact remains that Arthur Smith led a subpar offense in 2024. The offense was only worse when games meant more down the stretch, and the team managed to score only 14 points in their lone playoff game.
Smith failed to get much out of Wilson and Fields in 2024. If he fails to get much out of Wilson or Rodgers in 2025, especially after the Steelers traded for and paid Metcalf, how likely is it that he'd get the chance to coach a third quarterback in Pittsburgh? Probably not very.
2) The Steelers have to place Mike Tomlin on the hot seat at some point, right?
Mike Tomlin is one of the best head coaches in the NFL. He has spent all 18 of his NFL head coaching seasons in Pittsburgh, amassing a record of 183-107-2. He led the Steelers to a Super Bowl win in 2009, and, famously, has never finished with a losing record in any of his 18 seasons.
There's no disputing that Tomlin consistently gets the most out of a flawed roster, and he deserves credit for that. In fact, he's gotten immense credit for that. His leash seems to be as long as any coach in any sport because of that.
With all of that being said, the Steelers have lost each of their last six playoff games, with five of those contests being decided by two or more scores. He has not led the Steelers to a playoff win since 2016. It isn't only his fault that the Steelers consistently fall short, but how often do we see head coaches last a decade without winning a single playoff game? The simple answer is that just doesn't happen in professional sports.
If the Steelers sign Rodgers or Wilson, it'd be with having playoff success in 2025 in mind. Falling short of that once again might end up falling on Tomlin's shoulders once and for all.
1) Eventually, the Steelers organization will blame Omar Khan for his inability to land a franchise quarterback
The Steelers got outstanding quarterback play for most of Ben Roethlisberger's 18-year tenure in Pittsburgh. Ever since Roethlisberger hung up the spikes after the 2021 campaign, the organization has been scrambling for stability under center, and Omar Khan is largely responsible for that.
Khan didn't select Kenny Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, but he did stick with him for two seasons. Khan then moved off of Pickett ahead of the 2024 campaign, hoping to start fresh with Wilson and Fields, but the results were largely the same. The offense improved incrementally, but it still was nowhere near good enough. Now, Khan is once again reshaping the quarterback room.
General managers don't get so many cracks at rebuilding quarterback rooms. At some point, Khan is going to take the blame for the team's ineptitude offensively if he cannot give Mike Tomlin and Co. the right pieces to work with. He did acquire a high-end receiver, finally, but the quarterback plans could doom the Steelers season.