I may not see the big picture, but the Pittsburgh Steelers know how the pieces fit. By signing Aaron Rodgers to a one-year contract, it seems as though they are on a Super Bowl or bust sort of track this season. There is a chance he could help them win their first playoff game in close to a decade, but it is quite difficult to see a 40-something, injury-prone quarterback play well for the first time in years.
We are talking about one of the greatest ad-libbers at quarterback playing for an increasingly rigid offensive mind in Arthur Smith, one who lives and dies by running the football. If it does not work out for the Steelers, Smith will wear it as much as Rodgers does. If the team has its worst season in two decades, even the impenetrable legacy of head coach Mike Tomlin will be tarnished to some degree.
While I am willing to eat a lot of crow with this season, I am just going on what I have seen over the last few years in Pittsburgh and with Rodgers on his two most recent teams. The New York Jets, who have not qualified for the postseason since the Barack Obama Administration, were almost happy to see him go. Rodgers can help raise the floor during the season, but I am not sure he can in the playoffs.
Should he struggle this fall for the Steelers, it may end up costing them these three mainstays as well.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward
Cameron Heyward has done just about everything in a Steelers uniform, short of getting to and winning a Super Bowl. He has spent his entire pro career out of Ohio State with Pittsburgh, having been named to five All-Pro teams, seven Pro Bowls, and was named the Walter Payton Man of the Year two seasons ago. He feels like a candidate to retire with the Steelers, but he could want out.
Heyward is under contract with the Steelers for two more years. He could technically hit free agency ahead of his age-38 season in 2027. Frankly, I think he will probably walk away by then. For my money, if the Rodgers experiment proves disastrous, Heyward may either step aside prematurely and retire, or potentially force a trade to a team that actually has some serious Super Bowl aspirations for 2026.
While he has been rewarded for his loyalty so far, the Steelers have not won enough with him either...
2. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph
It could go either way with Mason Rudolph. As it is the case with Cameron Heyward, Rudolph is under contract for the next two years in Pittsburgh. Outside of last season with the Tennessee Titans, he has spent his entire NFL career out of Oklahoma State with the Steelers. While the notion of him being the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger did not take, the guy is still a well-thought-of backup.
That being said, if the Steelers have their worst season since Rudolph was in elementary school, he might want to go play somewhere else. This would be contingent on him not getting much run during a season of potential futility for the team. It kind of feels like they are questionably being beholden to Rodgers. Even if he is a total shell of himself physically, he will always start as long as he is healthy.
I think the Steelers circling the drain with Rodgers might tell Rudolph everything he needs to know.
1. Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher TJ Watt
The Steelers are really playing with fire when it comes to trying to get superstar edge rusher TJ Watt extended before the start of the year. Unlike Cameron Heyward and Mason Rudolph, Watt is playing on an expiring contract. Seeing other star edge rushers like Maxx Crosby and Myles Garrett get extended already leaves others like Watt, Trey Hendrickson and Micah Parsons feeling a certain way.
What I am getting at is if the Steelers play poorly with Rodgers at quarterback, why would Watt waste any more time in Pittsburgh? He may be on a hall-of-fame trajectory, but the team has never won a playoff game since he was drafted by them in 2017 out of Wisconsin. Because he could leave on his own accord as soon as March, Watt is by far and away the long-time Steelers player to watch do this.
I cannot say for certain that the Steelers' priorities line up with the priorities Watt has moving forward.