Jason Mackey: Steelers should channel their inner Pirates and tell Aaron Rodgers to hit the bricks

Jason Mackey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Apr 18, 2025

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — Thanks, Aaron. Appreciate the time and conversation. Hope you enjoyed seeing our city in your rented Chevy Malibu. But we need to move on.

That's what the Steelers should say to Aaron Rodgers, who sounded a lot like a man leaning toward retirement when he appeared on ESPN's "The Pat McAfee Show" on Thursday afternoon.

Rodgers cited some issues in his personal life and the sizable commitment required to play quarterback in the NFL as reasons he has not yet made a decision and insisted he'd play for 10 Ms, which I think means $10 million.

(Hey, I work for a newspaper. I'll be paid in actual M&Ms before I pull down a million-dollar salary.)

But in all seriousness, what sort of off-the-beat dance are we doing here?

Despite being approximately 17 years into this thing, Rodgers insisted he's not holding anyone hostage — which, come to think of it, maybe he meant in a more literal sense. In which case, good.

As it pertains to the Steelers, however, he's absolutely doing that.

They must build the best roster possible in 2025. If that includes him under center, they'd also be wise to use their first-round draft pick on a supporting piece: an interior defensive lineman, a wide receiver or even a running back.

They should not, if they sign Rodgers, use that pick on a quarterback. It would be smarter business to do everything possible to immediately improve the team, which would be hard if Rodgers was Pittsburgh's QB1.

It's also perfectly fine if Rodgers would rather retire. No one should begrudge him that. We all deal with personal issues. It's no small thing to absorb the pressure and scrutiny of playing quarterback in the NFL, and he should enjoy whatever sort of post-playing weirdness he wants.

Just admit it, man.

Cam Heyward said it best, although he unfortunately wound up walking back or clarifying his comments.

Either you want to be here or you don't.

Who among us watched Rodgers and thought he had those competitive juices flowing? Or was so enamored with Pittsburgh and the Steelers' legacy that he couldn't wait to pen the final chapter of his career here, teaming with Mike Tomlin and trying to change the narrative that has dogged them both?

Not me.

I heard someone who's "open to anything and attached to nothing." I also heard someone who was seemingly eager to dispel some narratives going around about his situation while trying to maintain the facade that he doesn't want the attention.

Talking on national TV for 45 minutes was certainly an interesting approach to combat the latter.

Rodgers also seemed to do his best to downplay how much his decision might be impacting teams, most notably the Steelers.

"I haven't felt like I owe anyone a decision at any point," Rodgers said. "This is my life now. ... I've been upfront with them about that. If you need to move on, if you need to do something, by all means."

And this: "There have been no deadlines. I've talked to Mike [Tomlin] many times."

Look, we've all dealt with stuff in our personal lives. Whatever Rodgers has encountered, hopefully it turns out OK. But most of us also work at places that won't allow time to stand still while sorting it all out.

If the Steelers haven't set a deadline, which Rodgers alleged through Tomlin, they'd be wise to start now — and make it soon.

Forget Rodgers' accomplishments, whether he can still play, his reputation or darn near anything else. The Steelers need to do the best possible thing for their organization.

That means not waiting anymore for Rodgers to reach a decision on whether he's going to play or not. And not just play for them. Play period.

The Steelers should be better than this.

Long ago, they should've set a date with Rodgers — in or out by this time. Yet, for whatever reason — perhaps Tomlin's ego or sizable stroke within the facility — they've let him control this entire thing.

The good news is there really hasn't been much damage done.

Mason Rudolph is a fine bridge option. They can tell Rodgers they're moving on and pick someone in the first round a week from now if the draft works out a certain way. Should Rudolph struggle, maybe we even see Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart.

But at least there's a somewhat clear succession plan, not a move dictated by what someone outside of the organization wants.

Bottom line, I sort of felt bad for Rodgers. Maybe the personal-life stuff is a lot. That's really none of our business, and I hope it works out OK for him.

The part where it becomes the business of others, most notably the Steelers, is when it starts to affect planning. It also doesn't seem like Rodgers is in much of a hurry to decide anything. Sounds like we could be waiting a while.

Asked how much he was thinking about football, Rodgers responded: "It's a small percentage. ... I'm taking care of my people right now and my personal-life responsibilities."

No criticism here. Do your thing, man.

But it's time for the Steelers to start taking care of their people, too.