Most of Steelers nation is frustrated waiting for Aaron Rogers to make his decision on where he will play in 2025.  The anger should be directed the organization, not the player, for the Steelers quarterback situation.  Omar Khan, and company dug this hole they find themselves in long before they made the contract offer to Aaron Rogers.  Let’s look at the timeline that got us here since the decline of Ben Roehtlisberger:

2019 – The Minkah Fitzpatrick trade

It all starts here, early on in the 2019 season.  The Steelers started the season 0-2, and had just lost Ben Roethlisberger for the season.  Most teams would wave the white flag, and accepted a lost season.  Not the Pittsburgh Steelers.  They traded what could have been a high first round pick in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick.  Fitzpatrick turned out to be the missing piece to a defense that would become dominant that season.  Just good enough to get the Steelers to nearly to a playoff spot, and also keep the non-losing seasons streak alive.

Sounds like a great move right?  Well it was, sort of.  The problem with this deal is it robbed the franchise of a much needed reset at quarterback.  With no Ben Roethlisberger, and the way the defense was playing without Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Steelers were destined for a top ten pick.  Keep in mind Justin Herbert went 6th in this draft, and probably would have been in striking distance if the Steelers had kept the pick.

Deciding to trade the pick assuming their 38 year old quarterback coming off major surgery would come back to anywhere near elite form was a gigantic miscalculation.  Ben Roethlisberger would never again regain his Pro Bowl form.  The Steelers got Minkah Fitzpatrick, but it cost them Justin Herbert

2022 – The Kenny Pickett fiasco

Despite every other team in the NFL realizing this was a historically bad quarterback draft, the Steelers decided to draft one in the first round anyway.  There are many theories as to why the team made Pickett their choice.  Some say Kevin Colbert was over zealous in finding the next franchise Steelers quarterback before he retired.  Others say Art Rooney was determined not to make the same mistake his grandfather made and pass up on the next great Pitt quarterback.  Whichever myth you believe, this decision will go down as one of the worst in franchise history.

Three years later, Kenny Pickett is on his third NFL team, and the Steelers are about to be on their 4th opening day starter since this draft.  They say missing on a starting quarterback in the first round sets a franchise back five years.  The Steelers are living proof of that theory.

2024 to present  – The identity crisis

This has been the biggest problem with the Steelers quarterback situation off and on since 2019.  It has become even more prevalent the last couple of years however.  The Steelers are under the mistaken impression that they are one veteran quarterback away from contending for a title.  That could not be any further from the truth.  What becomes of this notion is a never ending string of bad decisions at quarterback.

Last year it was Russell Wilson, despite the Denver Broncos spending tens of millions of dollars not to have him on thier roster.  It looked as if after a few games the Steelers had made the right decision.  After ending the season with six agonizing defeats, Wilson’s warts had become crystal clear.  Undaunted by last year’s mistake, the organization is about to double dip on the washed up veteran star theory.  We expect to hear any minute about the signing of Aaron Rodgers as the next Steelers quarterback.

While the theater that would create has us incredibly intrigued, no one in their right minds believes Aaron Rodgers makes the Steelers Super Bowl contenders.  Instead of building a young foundation, and gathering assets to make a move for a quarterback in 2026, the Steelers are busy loading up on veterans like DK Metcalf and Darius Slay.  These moves will keep that sacred non-losing seasons streak intact.  It will not however get this team any closer to what should be the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl.

 

 

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