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The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in Aaron Rodgers to salvage a few years of mediocre quarterback play, taking a gamble on the then 41-year-old.
But there were virtually no problems, as the Steelers were in the playoffs again, as Mike Tomlin finished above .500 again.
However, Rodgers, like last year, is playing the waiting game and remains a free agent.
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Aaron Rodgers (8) of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the national anthem before an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium on January 4, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
(Michael Owens/Getty Images)
It appears in all likelihood that Rodgers will return to Pittsburgh for a 22nd NFL season, and one Steelers legend believes the team doesn’t really have many other answers.
“When you have no alternative, then you have no choice,” Jerome Bettis told PK Press Club Digital. And I think some players have a little more leeway than others, and Aaron Rodgers is one of them, especially when you’re limited from a quarterback standpoint, depth-wise and experience-wise, right? »
Bettis, however, actually sees a positive in Rodgers’ wait.
“There’s an opportunity for our number two to get a lot of reps, a lot of opportunities, right? So there’s some positives to that because you’re letting the young guys have the opportunity to run the offense and learn the offense as they go.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin leaves the field with Aaron Rodgers (8) of the Pittsburgh Steelers after a 29-24 victory against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The match took place in Detroit, Michigan on December 21, 2025. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
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Bettis “of course” understands that players might be upset while waiting for their starting quarterback and wants some “continuity” in the locker room.
“I would ask myself: What’s going on? What are we doing? But now that you’ve been through it, you know the value, you know Aaron is a team player, right? He understands the culture. So now it’s not such a big deal,” Bettis continued.
The Steelers, for the most part, have had pretty consistent quarterback play for two decades, but it’s come at the expense of elsewhere, Bettis said. With several holes to fill, Bettis teams up with The Athletic and its NFL draft guide, “The Beast,” and meets with Steelers fans in Pittsburgh to discuss what they want in this month’s NFL Draft, which will take place in Pittsburgh.
“They get to watch players that they don’t know, players that maybe are talked about, that they don’t really understand. Now they’re getting very detailed information on some of the kids that they’re going to be rooting for over the next 10 or 15 years,” Bettis said. “You can’t know a lot about all these guys, and that’s why The Beast is going to be so useful and so helpful for the fans, so they know who this young, young man is, uh, who is maybe being drafted. …
Running back Jerome Bettis #36 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs with the football against the Denver Broncos during the 1997 season AFC Championship Game at Three Rivers Stadium on January 11, 1998 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Broncos beat the Steelers 24-21. (George Gojkovitch/Getty Images)
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“They let the other pieces deteriorate in the sense that the ground game struggled, the receivers struggled, so they have to do a lot to help the quarterback,” Bettis said, adding that defensive help is also needed. “And, I mean, get the receivers, get help from the offensive line, figure out the running back position. They have to do some things before they get to the quarterback, because right now the other pieces aren’t good enough.”
